Religious Experience Flashcards
What is Richard Swinburne’s starting point in arguing from religious experience from the existence of God?
Reasonable to think God would try to engage & interact with creation. If God exists, we should expect RE to take place.
If we experience something we would assume it is genuine eg being hit
Best example of a realist
What is a religious experience?
A non-empirical occurrence, and may be perceived as supernatural
What is Richard Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity?
Those experiencing God should believe what their senses tell them.
Something should be accepted unless there are good grounds for thinking it may be mistaken
What is Richard Swinburne’s Principle of Testimony?
There is no reason to doubt those who give accounts of RE
But - admits that known liars, those influenced by drugs etc shouldn’t be trusted
What is an example to support Richard Swinburne’s proposal that if we experience something, we assume it is genuine?
If person A was to hit person B, person B would say that they felt pain & person A would believe them. Why should it not be the same with RE?
What is the Historical Argument from Religious Experience?
Experiences of key individuals have been so impressive that they. Ust be true; Muhammad, St. Paul
What is the Cumulative Argument from Religious Experience?
So many people have had Religious Experiences in the past that simply cannot ALL be making it up. God must be the cause of all this.
Explain Muhammad’s Religious Experience
Qur’an traditional story: one night in 610, was meditating in a cave on Mt. Hire when angel Jibreel visited him & ordered him to recite. Once Jibreel mentioned name of Allah, Muhammad began to recite words which he believed were words of God. Continued to receive revelations for the rest of his life. Words remembered & recorded, formed the Qur’an. Believed God chose him as messenger, began to preach what was revealed to him
What is a mystical experience?
Where the recipient feels a sense of ‘union’ with the Divine, involving the spiritual recognition of truths beyond normal understanding.
What are the qualities of a mystical experience?
Knowledge of the ‘ultimate reality’ is gained - knowledge normally hidden from human intellect
Sense of freedom from limitations of time, space & human ego
Sense of ‘oneness’/unity with the Divine
Sense of bliss/serenity
What are the general features of a religious experience?
Non- empirical nature A mental event Spontaneous or brought on by long periods of training Unique Life enhancing
What are the main classifications of a religious experience?
Vision, conversion, mystical experience
What is a corporeal vision?
A figure is visibly present and may communicate with the seer
Where a transitory body is externally present e.g when Muhammad received the recitation of the Qu’ran from the angel Jibreel
What is an intellectual vision?
Intelligence/understanding/knowledge (of God) is passed on to the receiver, e.g Julian of Norwich understanding creation
What is an imaginary vision?
Where transitory body exists in mind/dream & strengthens faith e.g Matthew 2:13 ‘When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.’
What is a conversion?
A form of RE where a dramatic turn in someone’s spiritual life takes place, changing radically the persons religious view, often through an intense experience
What is a volitional conversion?
person decides to make a spiritual change, so does all the practical things to make that happen.
What is a self-surrender conversion?
(Colloquialism: Jailhouse Conversion)
person may feel life is sinful/wrong/worthless, they cannot do anything to make it better
Surrender themselves to religion to turn life around
When life improves, see this as divine intervention
