Religious experience

Question 1

What is a religious experience?

Answer 1

A religious experience is a subjective encounter with the divine or a transcendent reality.

Question 2

Name a philosopher associated with the study of religious experiences.

Answer 2

William James

Question 3

What are the types of Religious experience according to Swinburne?

Answer 3

Public - can be an individual seeing G-d, or G-d’s actions in a public scene
Private - experiences which an individual can describe in normal language

Question 4

What are the types of Religious experience according to Evans?

Answer 4

Monist - an individual becomes aware of the one-ness of all things
Numinous - a sense of complete separateness of G-d, where they become aware of his power and glory

Question 5

What are the types of Religious experience according to Davies?

Answer 5

• Interpretative Experience: where an experience is attributed to the divine
• Quasi-sensory Experience: where an experience impacts upon the senses
• Revelatory: where an experience provides a moment of unique insight or revelation
• Regenerative: where an experience renews or restores an already existing faith
• Mystical: where the individual perceives themselves to be apprehending the ultimate reality

Question 6

What does PINT stand for?

Answer 6

P - Passive = the experient does not seek the experience
I - Ineffable = the experience is unexplainable / difficult to explain
N - Noetic = the experience gives the experient special knowledge
T - Transient = the experience does not last that long