Influence Of Religious Experiemce On Community Flashcards
What did Alistair Hardy examine in 1969?
He examined the extent and nature of religious experience, focusing on how religion evolved and the variety of such experiences.
What is a religious experience according to Alistair Hardy?
“…usually induces in the person concerned, a conviction that the everyday world is not the whole reality; there is another dimension to life”.
What are religious practices?
They include rituals, ceremonies, and festivals that trigger religious experiences.
What do Muslims do during Ramadan?
They engage in fasting to celebrate the revelation of the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad. Badawi wrote, “Ramadan is time to empty your stomach to feed your soul.”
How do thinkers define faith?
As a mixture of will, trust, and belief.
What was Aquinas’s view on Christianity?
He viewed it as rational but believed that reason alone could not discover its truths; divine revelation was also required.
What is a ‘belief-that’?
Many view faiths as both a belief-that and a belief in. A ‘belief-that’ makes a claim that is objectively true, grounded in physical, historical events: for example, belief that Guru Nanak is the first Guru in Sikhism.
What is a ‘belief-in’?
A ‘belief-in’ extends beyond the world of sense experience into the sphere of inherent faith and is usually linked to meta-physical statements. For example, trust in Jesus for claims of salvation and resurrection.
Provide an example of a ‘belief-in’.
Trust in Jesus for claims of salvation and resurrection.
How is the move from beliefs brought about?
The move from these beliefs is brought about by religious experience, through an encouragement or strengthening of faith.
Who is John Pridmore?
For example, the conversion of John Pridmore who took a volitional and active search for the divine and showed willingness to leave his former corrupt life behind him.
What did William James believe about conversion?
William James believed that the concept of conversion could be illustrated with the expression “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity”, meaning when a person is at their lowest point, such as a criminal in prison, they are more easily converted to a religion.
What is the significance of religious experiences of conversion?
The religious experience of conversions are transforming and have the power to form “a new creation” as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians.
What are the types of religious experiences?
There are many types of religious experiences that have a wide range of manifestations: from quiet reflection and contemplation of the divine (private prayer of mediation) to public expressions of faith (through the euphoric ‘speaking in tounges’).
What is an example of a revelation of religious truths?
A revelation of religious truths can be communicated through religious experience, particularly the founders: for example, Judaism has the revelation of the Law of Moses on Mount Sinai. Exodus states “The Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain.” Such experiences have spiritual significance and reveal a body of truths and realisation.
What was St Bernadette’s vision?
Another example is St Bernadette’s vision of ‘The Immaculate Conception’, which instructed her that the spring water at Lourdes has healing powers, later to become a sacred place of pilgrimage. Picard said “The water of the good Mother of Heaven is always delicious.”
What role do pivotal figures play in religions?
In most religions there is a pivotal figure whose authority derives from their religious experience as it is seen as affirmation of their message.
What is an example of a religious vision?
A religious vision can have an intellectual quality, bringing the recipient a message of inspiration, insight, instruction, or warning. An example is Muhammad receiving the words of the Qur’an from Angel Jibril that he was to be the messenger of Allah: Surah 5:4 states “This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” Muhammad is seen as a passive channel through whom Allah communicated the final message for humanity.
What happened to St Paul on the road to Damascus?
St Paul is also seen as an influential figure of the Church through his passive conversion, when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, on the road to Damascus through ‘self-surrender’ – “…suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
What does God provide through religious experience?
In such accounts, God is seen to provide revelation and authority to trustworthy individuals through religious experience.
How can religious experience reveal ethical standards? What is the burning bush experience?
For example, Moses is honoured among Jews as the ‘lawgiver of Isreal’. Many of the visions recorded in the Bible, including Moses’ vision of the burning bush, are religious experiences of the numinous: Moses was confronted by God to lead the Israelites out of bondage. Eliot said “When God makes His presence felt through us, we are like the burning bush: Moses never took any heed what sort of bush it was—he only saw the brightness of the Lord.”
What is the Buddha’s enlightenment experience?
an example of meditation to be emulated by others. The Buddha placed great emphasis on testing oneself as he did. Maha Rahulovada Suua 62 states “Develop the meditation of compassion […] cruelty will be abandoned.”
How can a religious community be strengthened?
by religious experience: they provide opportunity and spiritual benefit such as a greater sense of unity and common identity. This is usually by means of festivals or pilgrimages.
What is an example of communal conversion?
For example, communal conversions are portrayed in the ‘Acts of the Apostles Ch.4’: the disciples were gathered in a room – “they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven […] all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.”
What does the festival of Pesach commemorate?
A further example in Judaism is the festival of Pesach remembers the events of Passover where the enslaved Israelites were spared from the plague, helping believers to reaffirm their faith and express spirituality through rituals such as prayer.
What did Jesus say about gathering in His name?
“For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”
