mystical experiences (personal)

Question 1

what are mystical experiences?

Answer 1

an experience revealing something amost transcendent - beyond normal awareness & experience

Question 2

Rudolf Otto (Book: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲)
(a mystery tremendous & fascinating)

Answer 2

explores the idea of the numinous encounter with the ‘wholly other’. The meeting is like a seduction described as ‘𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦 𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐬’ - fascinating meaning compelling by attraction; immensely powerful. Unlike anything in our daily lives, a special kind of experience which is simply religious.

Question 3

St Teresa of Avila (a catholic saint)
‘𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝… 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐦𝐞:..’

Answer 3

had visions that effected her life, people argued it was the psychological effect of sexual frustrations. However she said if they were, she would be left with feelings of disgust. She would go into trance - feel like her soul lifed out of her body ‘… 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬’

Question 4

Ninian Smart (comments on Otto’s ideas)

Answer 4

‘𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜’ - talking of experience which has no langauge capable fo describing it

Question 5

criticisms of St Teresa of Avila

Answer 5

• she says there’s a change in a person who has seen God. However a change for the good could happen as the person believes they have encountered God - but this doesn’t mean they really have
• her dreams and visions ound like sexual pleasures; was she just repressed?

Question 6

St Bernadette

Answer 6

• both saw & heard vigin Mary at Lourdes & cld describe what she’d been wearing & recorded the words spoken to her

Question 7

Biblical example (Jesus’ baptism)

Answer 7

When God says, “𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝; 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝” (MK 1:11)