Religious Experience Flashcards
What are the TWO different types of R.E
Direct- Feeling of making contact with God
Indirect- Inherent experience of God
Name and describe 7 types of R.E according to CAROLINE FRANKS DAVIES in “The Evidential Force of Religion”
1- Awareness - seeing God’s work in creation
2- Quasi- sensory - Vision/ Audio experience from God
3- Numinous - Overwhelming
4- Regenerative - Compulsion to convert
5- Mystical - Sense of ultimate reality and unity with God
6- Revelatory - Receiving enlightenment from God
7- Interprative - Having prayers answered
What does ANDREW GREELY say about R.E
Creates feeling of inner peace, compassion for other & sense of joy
What does H.D LEWIS say about R.E (quote)
‘Not just a feeling.. but a conviction… that something must be”
Who coined the phrase numinous
RUDOLPH OTTO
What is OTTO’s saying about R.E (latin phrase)
Mysterium (evokes silence) tremendum (terror) et fascinas (merciful & gracious)
Define Propositional & Non- Propositional R.E
Propositional- God communicates divine message
Non- Propositional- Non verbal, visions, divine inspiation
What were events at Fatima
- 1917 in Portugal
- Mary appeared to 3 children, given visions of future
- 70,000 people say ‘sun dancing’
When was the Toronto Blessing
1994
What is suffism
Mystical experience within ISLAM
What does PAUL TILLICH say about R.E
Two Stages:
1) Event
2) Special understanding of event
What are the 4 characteristics of RE according to WILLIAM JAMES in “Varieties of Religious Experience”
1) Ineffability- defies description
2) Noetic Quality- Revelation of universal truths
3) Transiency- brief but important
4) Passivity- Feeling of being taken over
What does Jonathan Edwards refer to RE
- Religious AFFECTION
- Evoke radical change, over long period of time
Explain 3 reasons to support RE according to SWINBURNE in “Is there a God?”
1) Reasonable to support that God would interact with his creation.
2) PRINCIPLE OF CREDULITY- Should trust our senses
3) PRINCIPLE OF TESTIMONY- Should believe what others say is true
What is the HISTORICAL ARGUMENT
Experiences of KEY individuals must be true
