Otto Flashcards
what is a reductionist
religion is about fear
what does freud think the core of religion is
psychology
what is the non rational factor of the divine (Otto)
feeling of absolute dependence to infinite (same as schlermacher)
what is the doctrine of divine simplicity
god is not object w properties, god IS properties
what is the rational element of the divine/religion
language, we use language to describe god and other qualities of the non rational
why must there be a non rational factor
because god is beyond being grasped, beyond being analyzed and beyond being defined
you cannot capture religion purely thorugh propositions
what is the error of rationalism
does not take non-rational factor into account; rational is not reasonable in this context it is what exist in the sphere of human understanding
what is the category of the holy
tied to the religious category; when you walk into a holy place, holiness comes over you
similar to a beautiful sunset
what is ottos opinion on morality as the core of religion
content of holy cannot be exhausted in terms of morality
holiness is not morality (a feeling beyond morality). Beyond sanctity, law etc.
what is the numinous
unique experience/feeling of the divine (idea of the holy)
what are the qualities of the numinous
1) creature consciousness
2) mysterium tremendum
3) majestas
4) force
5) fascination
how does Otto try to persuade readers regarding the numinous
appeling to sense of holy that you as a reader will have to understand to read the book
cannot be vindicated in any way, simply appealing to a feeling that he hopes his readers will resonate with
what is creature consciousness
a sense of one’s own insignificance in the presence of something greater
self abasmenet into nothing before the overpwoering might of being
what is mysterious tremendum
kind of fear, but in an entrancing king of way
standing in awe, mysterious terror
what is majestas
feeling of being in contact with a power that overshadows my power (majesty)
what is force
to experiecne numinous is to expereince something overpowering
omnipotent force
what is fascination
alluring and entrancing aspect of the numoinous
profoundly attractive to the human mind, not just scary, daunting and fascinating simultaneously
example of creature consciousness
when abraham speaks w god: ‘ permit me to speak to you for i am just ashes, dust ‘
feeling one’s own nothingness
example of mysterium tremendum
reactions to wrath of god
‘I don’t want god to be angry with me’
what is ottos problem with schleiermacher’s ‘feeling of dependence’
does not fully capture the emotional depth of the numinous, prefers creature consciousness
what is rationalism
a belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response.
what is the wholly other
something entirely different from anything in normal experience. It is not just unknown but completely outside the realm of human understanding
jaw dropping experience, awe
