Religious Experience Flashcards
Swinburne definition
‘an experience which seems to the subject to be an experience of God or of some other supernatural thing.’
St Bernadette’s experience (corporeal)
‘I saw a lady dressed in white’ - Virgin Mary
Intellectual Religious Experience - St Teresa of Avila
‘So far down in the depths of the soul does this contact take place.’
Otto’s numinous experience
Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans - fearful and fascinating mystery.
James’ 4 marks of religious experience?
- Ineffability
- Noetic Quality
- Transiency
- Passivity
PINT (remember my order) IN The Pub (James’ order)
Ineffability
‘I wish i could give a description… I find it impossible.’ St Teresa of Avila
Example of Noetic Quality
Julian of Norwich ‘shewings’ of divine love. Learnt universe lasts because of God’s love.
Transciency
‘modify the inner life of the subject between the times of their occurrence.’ James
Passivity - The Dark Night of the Soul
‘I abandoned and forgot myself; Laying my face on my Beloved.’ St John of the Cross.
Stace: Extrovertive example
N.M. (American) - ugly objects in garden become beautiful.
‘All things seemed to glow with a light that came from within them.’
Stace: Introvertive example
Koestler - ‘The peace that passeth all understanding.’
Demonic possession
‘He foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.’ Mark 9:18
The Toronto Blessing
‘a party of the Holy Spirit.’ Pastor Arnott
Ramanchandra
‘Our brains have developed specific structures that help us believe in God.’
Proverbs 15:3
‘The eyes of the Lord are in every place.’
