AO2 - Religious Communities Are Entirely Depenndent Upon Religious Experiences Flashcards
P1 - Religious experience has a significant impact upon religious communities. For example, the interest of Islam is based off the revelation of the the Holy book, the Qur’an to prophet Muhammad by Angel Jibril, through his own religious experience, over the course of 23 years.
Ex1 - If you argue that religious experiences are false then the belief of all Muslims holds no credibility. The revelation of the Qur’an highlights the transiency of mystical experiences which are susceptible to continuous development with intense, lasting effects.
R1 - In response to this however, Antony Flew’s falsification principle stated that propositions could be meaningful if there were some evidence that could count against their beliefs, if they were falsifiable, meaning empirical evidence to prove it false. To refuse to to allow anything to count against their belief makes their point of religious and mystical experiences meaningless, this critiques the cognitions meaningfulness of religious statements. “A statement which cannot be falsified is not a genuine statement at all”.
Ev1 - Weak - Swinburne argued the sheer weight of testimony from those thousands through the ages who claimed to have encounter God, is sufficient enough to prove the existence of the divine, “An omnipotent and perfectly good creator God will seek to interact with his creatures and, in particular, with human persons capable of knowing him”.
L1 - Therefore religious experiences are necessary for religious communities.
P2 - It could be argued that individual religious experiences—like conversions or dreams—don’t have as much of an effect on wider religious belief as miracles do. Many sacred texts include supernatural events to vindicate the authority of those seen as God’s messengers.
Ex2 - For instance, in Christianity, the Bible tells how Moses parted the Red Sea to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians. Hume even claimed that “The Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one,” suggesting that miracles are essential to justify belief in Christianity. (it could be argued that within congregational religious experiences, their authority derives from one’s religious experience as it is seen as confirmation of their message. For example, within Christianity, the revelation through the appearance of angels to Mary and Joseph affirmed the doctrine of the incarnation and virgin birth.This is a strong and valid point as Luke 1:45 stated “And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Thus, religious experiences within the community are necessary)
R2 - however, it could be said that for a community, festivals or rituals may be seen as an opportunity for one to affirm their faith, for example, within Christianity the time of Lent is symbolic of reflection and renewal in which a Christian may fast in order to develop a
closer relationship with the divine. The 40 days represent the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil.
Ev2 - This is a strong and valid point as Scholar Elaine Stritch stated “There’s something about it that makes sense, Lent. You give something up, and everything’s more joyful.”
L2 - Therefore, religious experience is necessary for a community.
P3 - Religious experiences impact religious belief greatly as a community, not solely an individual. A religious community celebrating a past religious experience or congregational worship are occasions by which a religious community is strengthened by a religious experience.
Ex3 - For example, within the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the Hare Krishna movement is a necessary expression of faith by which Hare Krishna’s worldwide come together in unity to celebrate their faith as a whole, providing a stronger connection to the divine. Srimad Bhagavatam stated “Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra vanquishes the effects of all sinful behaviour.”
R3 - it could be argued that individual miracles are of more value as they are catalyst for the
creation of religious ‘hotspots’. The prime example of Lourdes comes into light here, the Roman Catholic Shrine: St.Bernadette’s vision of the Virgin Mary (immaculate conception) to reveal the healing powers of the spring water. Picard said “The water of the good mother of Heaven is always delicious”.
Ev3 - This is a strong point as individual Danila Castelli was healed of a tumour after her visit to Lourdes and the medical committee concluded that the way in which she was healed remains “unexplained according to current scientific knowledge.” “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul…their illnesses were cured and their evil spirits left them” / Williamson said “Prayer is a medium of miracles”.
L3 - Thus, miracles may be more beneficial to one with religion than specific experiences.
