Formulation of the Claim
Metaphor is a fundamental element in the formation of religious meaning, and it cannot be reduced to a merely rhetorical embellishment.
Explanation
Arkoun understands metaphor as part of the structure through which religious meaning is formed, not as a supplementary device that merely adorns discourse. Metaphor thus becomes a present force in the production of meaning itself, not only in its embellishment.
This implies that religious reading cannot be understood in a strictly literal way, because meaning is also formed through displacement, suggestion, and representation. In this sense, metaphor helps open the text onto layers of understanding that go beyond the direct and the familiar.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s concern with analyzing the conditions under which meaning is formed in religious discourse, especially when he shows that religious language operates within a complex semantic system. It is close to his theses that reject reducing foundational texts to a single fixed meaning or to a closed literal reading.
Limits of the Claim
This does not mean that all religious meaning is metaphorical, nor that metaphor alone is sufficient to explain the whole of religious experience. The atom describes a central function of metaphor in the formation of meaning, without confining religion to rhetoric or to language alone.