3B: Mystical experience

Question 1

Who was William James?

Answer 1

• (1842-1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist.
• his book on mystical experiences ‘Varieties of Religious experience’ (1902) is regarded one of the most significant works on religious mysticism

Question 2

What are James’ four characteristics of a mystical experience?

Answer 2

• ineffability
• noetic quality
• transiency
  -passivity

Question 3

Ineffability:

Answer 3

• it is not possible to explain the mystical experience to other people because it is so overwhelmingly and transforming; unless that someone has had a similar mystical experience
• because the ME is so profound everyday language cannot express it. Peter Vardy compared tis with the experience of being in love
• James accepts that this makes proving mystical experiences difficult. However the fault is the language as opposed to the mystic

Question 4

Noetic quality:

Answer 4

• a mystical experience allows the recipient an insight into faith. These insights would not be available to the person simply by intellectual investigation
• the gaining of such insights is a common theme by mystics, e.g. Theresa of Avila’s four stages of prayer

Question 5

Transiency:

Answer 5

• mystical experiences don’t last very long, usually no more than 30 minutes.
• however the experience is often intense and effects of the experience would remain with the recipient for a lifetime

Question 6

Passivity:

Answer 6

• James noted that when the ME reaches its highest form, the recipient is left with a feeling of helplessness. or being ‘lost in the experience’
• James also noted that the transformative effect on the passive recipient, i.e. the mystics life will often be changed after the experience.

Question 7

Who was Rudolf Otto?

Answer 7

• German philosopher and theologian.
• wrote about religious experiences in his book ‘The Idea of the Holy’
• Otto believed that mystical experiences were beyond the realms of rational thought and the empirical sciences. Instead he focused on the ‘feelings’ of the recipient

Question 8

What was Otto’s concept of the numinous?

Answer 8

• Otto argues that mystical RE are about experiencing the ‘holy’, i.e. experiencing God
• However the term ‘holy’ has many different meanings and therefore focuses on the specific meaning ‘numinous’
• numinous: refers to supernatural Divine power.
• Therefore Otto believed that the recipient of a MRE was experiencing the ‘numinous’

Question 9

Otto - human predispostion for mystical relgious experiences:

Answer 9

• Otto argued that everyday human experiences are full of ‘mundane ‘rational’ decisions
• however Otto believed that there was also a part of human existence that wants the ‘non-rational’. Although he makes a distinction between irrational and non-rational beings
• irrational being: a being with a lack of sanity
• non-rational being: stable being who wants an experience that is not definable in rational terms
• Otto believed human beings seek out the spiritual - particularly the numinous. It is part of humanity’s natural inclination to seek the numinous

Question 10

Otto - Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans:

Answer 10

• he then goes on to describe a numinous ME for those that have successfully actualised their natural inclination to see out the numinous.
• Otto believed the only way to sum up the intensity of the numinous ME was by using the Latin Expression ‘Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans. This literally translates to ‘terrible, mystery and loving’. What is meant is that the numinous experience will be terrifying, mysterious and loving
• Mysterium: ‘wholly other’, i.e. it is completely outside our normal experience
• Tremendum: powerfulness of God will be overwhelming and create a sense of unease and humility in us
• Fascinans: recipient will feel mercy and gracefulness of God