MODULE 4 Religious Experiences Flashcards
what is religious experience?
It’s a subjective experience which is interpreted within a religious framework. The concept originated in the 19th century, as a defence against the growing rationalism of western society.
what is corporeal visions?
A form of empirical religious experience. Empirical experiences are those which we have through our five senses of touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight.
One of the most common forms of religious experiences is that of seeing God through nature e.g a sunset.
What are the three types of visions in religious experiences?
- Corporeal
- Imaginative
- Intellectual
These categories help in understanding different ways individuals perceive and interpret religious experiences.
Who is associated with the concept of mystical experiences in religious studies?
William James
He explored non-sensuous and non-intellectual unions with the divine.
What is a numinous experience according to Rudolf Otto?
An apprehension of the wholly other
Numinous experiences evoke feelings of awe and wonder in the presence of a transcendent God.
What are Swinburne’s principles related to religious experiences?
- Principle of credulity
- Principle of testimony
These principles address the validity and reliability of religious experiences as evidence for belief.
Fill in the blank: Corporeal visions are _______ experiences involving sense experience.
empirical
What type of vision involves seeing with the ‘eye of the mind’?
- Imaginative visions
- These visions often occur in dreams and are beyond the control of the experiencer.
Who had visions of the Virgin Mary in a grotto?
Bernadette Soubirous
(Her experiences are examples of corporeal visions)
What is the essence of numinous experiences?
Awe and wonder in the presence of an almighty God
It reflects a deep awareness of human nothingness when faced with the divine.
What does Otto mean by ‘mysterium tremendum et fascinans’?
- A feeling of awe and mystery in religious experiences
- This phrase describes the dual nature of attraction and fear in the presence of the divine.
What does Otto argue about the knowledge of God?
- God cannot be known through sensory experience or logical argument
- He emphasizes that religious experience transcends ordinary understanding.
What does the term ‘wholly other’ signify in relation to God?
God is completely different from any being in ordinary experience
True or False: Otto focuses on the moral aspect of holiness in religious experiences.
False
why: He emphasizes God’s transcendent and numinous qualities rather than moral definitions.
What is ‘creature-consciousness’ as described by Otto?
The emotion of feeling overwhelmed by one’s own nothingness in contrast to the divine
(This concept reflects a profound awareness of human limitations in the face of the supreme)
What does Peter Donovan highlight about the numinous experience?
It involves both a sense of overwhelming majesty and feelings of worthlessness
What are the three main qualities of the divine according to Otto?
- Mysterious quality
- Ultimate importance
- Attractive and dangerous
who is William James?
(KEY SCHOLAR)
American philosopher. The varieties of Religious Experience, contains his analysis of mystical experiences.
Define the keyword ‘INEFFABILITY’
Define the keyword ‘NOETIC’
Define the keyword ‘TRANSIENCY’
Define the keyword ‘PASSIVITY’
Mystical experiences must be:
- Ineffable - our language can’t fully convey the experience
- Noetic - gained spiritual knowledge
- Passive - beyond person’s control
- Transient - comes and goes (max. 2 hours)
