Influence Of Religious Experiemce On Individual Flashcards
What do religious experiences constitute for many individuals?
evidence for God’s existence, acting as a vehicle that is used to bring people closer to the divine. Teasdale describes it as “a direct, immediate experience of the ultimate reality”. It is an experience beyond ordinary empirical explanation.
What can be valuable to an individual regarding religious experiences?
Both one’s own religious experience and the testimony and accounts of other peoples experiences can be of value to the individual. Teasdale said “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing”.
How can a religious experience help someone struggling in their faith?
If one faith is struggling having a religious experience or meeting God can remove doubts and renew faith: such an experience might come from a time of prayer, meditation, reading of a sacred text or participation in a religious ritual such as the puja for Hindus: Stephen P Huyler said “An essential aspect of puja for Hindus is communion with the divine” and the deities presence is “reaffirmed by the daily rituals of honouring and invocation”.
What is the significance of pilgrimage in rekindling faith?
For example, in Islam, Hajj (one of the five pillars) is expected to be fulfilled at least once in their life. The Qur’an states “pilgrimage to the house is a duty towards God upon humankind, for those who can find a way there”.
How can accounts of martyrs inspire faith?
An individual may be strengthened in their faith in the face of opposition: it may be accounts of martyrs that inspire faith in the opposition.
What does Christianity teach about suffering?
There are examples in sacred texts of followers who faced persecution who consider a religious experience can give them a sense of divine presence. Jesus’ intense suffering and death inspires enlightenment and reward of salvation. Keller wrote “Christianity teaches that…suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real…suffering is meaningful. There is purpose to it and if faced rightly it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.”
What opportunities do most religions provide for adherents?
The religious experience often takes the form of a public commitment such as an initiation ceremony. For example, in Sikhism the Amrit ceremony is the initiation right: Sikh scripture and prayers are recited, helping to renew their commitment.
What is the Amrit ceremony in Sikhism?
The religious experience often takes the form of a public commitment such as an initiation ceremony. For example, in Sikhism the Amrit ceremony is the initiation right: Sikh scripture and prayers are recited, helping to renew their commitment.
What is the purpose of Lent in Christianity?
An opportunity for reflection and renewal is also observed in Christianity during the time of Lent. This 6 week period of fasting helps the individual to develop repentance, self denial, spiritual discipline and a closer relationship with God. Benedict XVI said “Through fasting and praying, we allow him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger…the hunger and thirst for God”.
What role do holy places play in religious experiences?
Holy places can also be seen as triggers of religious experience that lead to recommitment to religious beliefs. They are usually sacred places: buildings of worship or pilgrimage destinations, such as Jerusalem for Christians (the Western wall) and are viewed as a sacred meeting place between the spiritual and the physical.
This could be a temple/mandir for a Hindu: a key feature of mandir puja is darshan, the reciprocal act between the deity and the devotee.
What is darshan in Hinduism?
Darshan is a miraculous and very personal form of puja which can lead to direct visual communication with the deity: V.A Ponmelil says that darshan is “a matter of experiencing the deity and entering into a personal, reciprocal exchange with the supreme”. Darshan is a religious experience that, through puja, aims to declare one’s own allegiance with Brahman and establish a direct relationship on a personal level.
