Religious experience Flashcards
richard swinburne on religious experience
helps prove the existence of god
richard swinburne
two types of religious experience
public
1) ordinary interpreted experiences such as the beauty of the sky
2) extraordinary experiences such as jesus walking on water
private
1) experiences describable in normal language
2) experiences that are ineffable
richard swinburne
the principle of testimony
makes sense to believe what people tell you since most tell the truth
we ought to believe that things are as they seem to be, until we have evidence that we are mistaken
shouldn’t doubt other people
- too optimistic and idealistic
richard swinburne
the principle of credulity
(in the absence of special considerations) the experiences of others are (probably) as they report them
trust intuition, shouldn’t doubt yourself
- some argue religion itself is a special consideration and that you are more likely to see things that arent there if you belong to a religious group.
richard swinburne
priory probability argument
the probability of the existence of a cosmological god is higher than that of aliens so the likelihood should be taken seriously
- antony flew 10 leaky buckets
william james on religious experience
something is real if it has real effects
we cant deny the effect of religious experiences on people so william james uses these as evidence for the existence of god
william james
defining religious experience
passivity (not in control)
ineffable (cant be described in human language)
noetic (leads to greater understanding)
transient (experience is temporary)
criticisms of william james
nicholas lash: experiences are about experiencing god through pattern setters
peter vardy: ‘anti realist’
william alston
experiences are non sensory, god is spiritual and cannot effect people physically
- spiritual can still have physical effects eg ghosts
kant
we cannot use our senses to experience god since he is in the noumenal world whereas we are stuck in the phenomenal world
sigmund freud on religious experience
argument from psychology
religious experience is wish fulfilment
religion is a universal obsessional neurosis
sigmund freud
primal horde theory
1) every society consists of a primal horde who gather round a dominant male
2) male inevitably killed out of jealousy
3) guilt passes down through history into peoples unconscious minds
4) males focus guilt on totem animal
5) pray to totem and sacrifice animals
6) god is ultimate totem
sigmund freud
comparison between religion and oedipus complex
god acts as a replacement father figure and people turn to religion out of fear of death (displacement?)
sigmund freud
criticisms
michael palmer: how does the oedipus complex apply to religious experience when people believe in multiple gods
paul vitz: using freuds logic argues that atheists are simply rejecting their father figure by not believing in god
anne marie rizzuto: not removed the illusion with religion but replaced religion with an illusion
antony flew
vicious circle argument
(opposition to religious experience)
x leads to y, which in itself enforces x
a religious belief enforces a religious belief and vice versa
- doesnt account for people converting to a religion without having a religious experience
- people of one religion having religious experiences relating to a different religion
david hume
conflicting claims argument
two opposing religious experiences cancel each other out and discredits them ‘a triumph for the sceptic’
- two conflicting religious experiences still leaves the possibility of one being correct
- j smart: all experiences come from the same god but are merely interpreted differently
karl marx
the sociological argument
religion is a way to oppress and alienate lower classes
1) flower covered chains (oppresses but seems to comfort)
2) religion is a false sun (appears to give us clarity but does not)
3) religion is the opium of the people
4) religion is the sigh of the oppressed
- was proposed in a time where many religions were corrupt which arguably does not apply to modern world religion
corporate experiences definition
experiences that happen in public places to several people, e.g. toronto blessing 1994
corporate experiences
strengths
1) numerically valid
2) shows shared feelings and responses which is more valid than individual experiences
corporate experiences
weaknesses
1) why would god show himself by making people laugh hysterically and bark like dogs (toronto blessing)
2) hank hanegraff
such phenomena are the result of mass hypnosis
3) william sergeant
mass religious conversions are down to conditioning
individual experiences definition
the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men
individual experiences
strengths
1) can be authenticated personally
2) less likely to be conditioned
3) cant be put down to mass hypnosis
individual experiences
weaknesses
1) cannot be physically seen as corporate religious experiences
2) often no witnesses
3) lack of empirical evidence
glossolalia
speaking in tongues
well known form of religious experience whereby people slip into an indistinguishable language, adhering to the view that such experiences are ineffable and appear possessed by god’s grace
