RE Flashcards
What is the title of William James’s famous work?
The varieties of religious experience (1902)
Define ineffability according to William James.
The person goes through certain sensations that are beyond verbal description.
What does noetic quality refer to in William James’s framework?
The experience provides insights into unobtainable truths.
Explain transiency as described by William James.
The significance and effect of the experience don’t match up with the time it takes.
What is passivity in the context of William James’s religious experience?
One loses control to a more powerful being – namely God.
What conclusion does William James draw about religious experiences?
‘Something other’ - they suggest the existence of ‘something other’ but do not demonstrate God’s existence.
What does ‘good disposition’ mean in William James’s analysis?
The only possible sign that the experience could be from God is a ‘good disposition’ (sometimes called fruits) that results from the experience.
How does William James describe religious experiences?
‘Psychological phenomena.’
According to Mackie, what happens if mystical experiences can be explained psychologically?
They have no authority, even for the person who has the experience.
Who was St Teresa of Avila?
A Carmelite Nun born in Avila, Spain in 1515.
What does awareness mean in St Teresa’s context?
There is more to life than currently experienced.
Define holiness according to St Teresa.
An awareness that God is holy in contrast to the sinfulness of the individual.
What is meant by the presence of God in St Teresa’s experiences?
A deep and joyful sense of God’s presence.
What is the ‘dark night of the soul’?
Where the individual feels that God has totally abandoned them and feels totally sinful and close to despair.
Describe ecstasy and rapture in St Teresa’s experiences.
The individual is entranced, and the focus of the experience is irresistible.
What does union refer to in St Teresa’s spiritual framework?
A spiritual marriage, a complete union between God and man.
What is transverberation in relation to St Teresa?
Signs of piercing of the heart found upon examination of her uncorrupted body.
Who is Akiane Kramarik?
A modern example of a mystical type of experience who sees visions and paints what she sees.
What does Rudolf Otto mean by ‘numinous’?
Supernatural divine power, a natural inclination to seek the ‘numinous.’
Explain Wittgenstein’s concept of ‘seeing as’.
We interpret what we experience to describe it both to others and ourselves.
What event is described in Acts 2?
The first coming of the Holy Spirit where the disciples spoke ‘in tongues’.
What did St Augustine experience at the end of his sentence?
The light of confidence flooded into his heart, dispelling all darkness of doubt.
What did John Wesley mean by his conversion from ‘mind to heart’?
He felt his heart ‘strangely warmed.’
What is neurotheology?
The study of the brain in relation to religion.
What experiment did Michael Persinger conduct?
Stimulated the temporal lobes to try to create a religious feeling.
What were Andrew Newberg’s findings from studying Buddhist monks?
The parietal lobes shut down during meditation, affecting the sense of time and place.
According to Karl Marx, how is religion used by the bourgeoisie?
As a drug to take away the pain of life for the proletariat.
What does Karl Marx mean by ‘opium of the people’?
Religion prevents the working class from beginning a revolution for social equality.
How does Sigmund Freud view religion?
As a ‘universal obsessional neurosis’ and a way to cope with a chaotic world.
What is Medjugorje known for?
A small town where six teenagers saw visions of Mary in 1981.
What is the Toronto Blessing?
A phenomenon in 1994 where Christians reported new workings of the Holy Spirit.
Define mass hysteria.
An outbreak of unusual behaviors, thoughts, feelings, or health symptoms shared among a group.
