Religious experience (1) Flashcards
What is a vision
a vision, in a religious sense is where a person sees or hears something that they believe is supernatural in origin. a vision experience can happen in a dream or awake.
What are religious experiences
generally defined as a form of encounter with God. There are several forms such as visions conversions mysticism and prayer.
What is a sensory vision?
when a person is awake. involves a person seeing or hearing something beyond a normal experience. the recipient hears/sees external objects, sounds or figures that bring the recipient theological insight or knowledge.
example st Bernadette has several visions of an angel at Lourdes indicating the healing abilities of the local spring waters.
What is an individual sensory vision
The sensory vision is seen heard by only one person.
What is a group sensory vision
A vision where external objects/sounds or figures convery knowledge and understanding to the recipient. The sensory vision is seen/heard by more than one person. for example Luke 2 a group of shepherds had a group vision when they see an angel proclaiming the birth of Jesus. Pentecostal
What is a corporeal vision
Where the individual group sees a vision that appears to be physical in nature, such as a physical human body.
defintion: of a material nature, physical
What is a dream based vision
unconcious state where knowledge or understanding is gained through a series of images or a dream narrative that would not normall be availble to the individual in a concious state.
Vision in a dream rather than in the physical sensory world. Example: Matthew 1 in the bible joseph has a dream, based vision confirming the nature of Mary’s pregnancy
What is an intellectual vision
visions where the repient(s) have claimed that they have given them important theological insights or understandings.
that which brings thre recipients knowlege or understanding
example: acts 10 of the bible peter had a dream-based vision of a large sheet containing all kinds of animals and reptiles descending down from the heavens.
What is a conversion
The word conversion litereally means to change direction. It means the process of change in a way a person may percieve the spiritual aspect of human exsistence.
example of an individual conversion and an example of a communal conversion
Act 9 in the Bible saul, a jewish persecutor of Christians, is on the road to damascus when he is struck blind by a light from heaven. he then hears the voice of jesus and as a result converted to christianity and changed is name to paul.
Acts 2 describes how the disciplies and a crowd being from differenations are filled with the holy spirit at pentecost. they are all suddenly able to understand eachother’s languages. peter then delivers a sermon where many converted to christianity
name the different types of conversion and examples
Athiest to faith: non religious to faith. C.C lewis moved from being an atheist to faith in 1931to a life long christian writing many insightful books.
Faith to faith: from one faith to another. saul to paul (judaism from christianity) and ambedkar hinduism to buddhism.
deepening of a faith: common for child to follow their religion they are raised with but as they grow older they may develop a stronger connection.
Intellectual conversion: converted to the faith by the intellectual study of theology e.g studying of a religious book “and when i recieved the book a guidance that would explain everything” Yusuf Islam
Moral conversion: conversion to faith due to a challenge in their life. Gangster tommie scott introduced to faith by a chrisian prson ministry.
Desribe William Jame’s features of a religious conversion
American philosopher (1842-1910)
PITS
Passive/active: The conversion can be passive and come upon the recipient unexpectedly without them seeking it or it can be ‘active’ a person specifically seeks out a spiritual experience.
Transforming: Conversions can completley transform a persons life and they can become a ‘new person’ e.g tommy scott gangster
Slow/Fast: Fast conversion e.g saul to paul on the road to damascus. for others it can take many years.
Involuntary: The conversion may involve the recipient battiling against it, until they finally ‘give in’ to the conversion.
What is a mysticism
a mystical experience is the feeling of complete union with God. It is particularly powerful and during the religious experience the recipient can feel completley absorbed by the presence of God
Who is Rudolf Otto
philosopher who wrote about religious experiences in his book ‘the idea of the holy’ Otto believed that mystical experiences were beyond the realms of rational thought and the empirical sciences. Instead he focused on the ‘feelings’ of the recipients.
Describe Philosopher Otto’s concept of the Numinous
Otto firstly argues that mystical religious experiences are about experiencing the ‘holy’ (experiencing the nature of God). However Otto realised that the term ‘holy’ has severeal religious meanings. therefore he created the concept of numinous from the latin word lumen referring to supernatural divine power.
The recipient of a mystical religious experiece is therefore experiencing the numinous supernatural power.
Describe ottos rational and non rational beings (the human predisposition for mystical religious experiences)
Otto argued that every day human experiences are full of mundane ‘rational’ descions, actions that make sense in the physical world. (we look both ways when we cross the road inorder to not get run over etc)
Otto believed that there was also a part of human exsistence that wants the non-rational, those things that cannot be explained by rational thought.
-irrational being- a being with a lack of sanity
-non rational being- a being who wants an experience that is not definable by rational terms.
As human beings week seek out the numinous, therefore it is part of humanities natural inclination to seel the numinous. this may explain fascination is superheros because they display elements of god’s power
Describe Otto’s Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans
(Otto’s description of religious experiences for those whp have successfully actualised their natural inclination to seek the numinous)
latin expression ‘mysterium tremendum et fascinans’ translating to terrible mystery and loving.
Mysterium: the numinous experience is felt as wholly other. it is completley outside of our normal experiences and will cause a fascination inside of us.
Tremendum: the powerfulnes of God will be overwhelming and create a sense of humility or unease.
Fascinans: the recipient will feel the mercy and gracefulmes of God.
intensity of the convulsions “from the depths of the soul with spasms and convulsions”
“deepest and most fundamental element in all strong and sincerely felt religious emotions”
Who is caroline franks davis
Caroline franks davis in her 1980 work ‘the evidential force of relgiipus experience’ highlighted three challenges to the validity of religious experiences.
How did caroline franks davis criticise description related religious experiences?
Davis highlights two reasons why an even, that is described, should be rejected.
- Davis argued that any event that is described must have empiral evidence for it to be valid
2.any event that is described needs to be rejected if it contradicts normal every day experiences. as re are not every day normal experiences, therefore any description is not valid
How did caroline franks davis criticise subject related religious experiences?
The recipient claiming the religious experience maybe an unreliable source.
1. they may be suffering from a mental illness or
2. suffering from delusions, brought about by some sort of substance abuse- alchol, drugs etc if the recipient/subject is suffering from one of the above they are not in the position to properly understand what they have experienced
How did caroline franks davis criticise object related challenges?
Davis focuses on the source of the so called religious experience, for example God. She belives that it is highly unlikely of having experienced a God like figure and so is unlikely to be true.
For davis the idea that God has been experienced is no more likely of a claim than seeing the loch ness monster.
