Religious Experience Flashcards
Concepts of visions
Seen other than usual sight Supernatural/ prophetic sight Awake/ asleep Revelation Message Sensory/ dream based Commonly intellectual message
Sensory visions
External objects sounds and figures appear before a receipent
Intellectual visions
Message of inspiration Insight Instructions Warnings Sometimes unconscious state shows images not normal in conscious
Example of group vision
Angel of mons in British troops
Example of individual vision
Bernadette of Lourdes visited by Virgin Mary to highlight healing spring and where to dig
Religious figure vision example
St Theresa of avril- fire spear
Example of place of significance
Guru Nanak vision of Gods court- glass of nectar
Conventions of a conversion
Change direction One perspective to another Usually personal Can be communal- acts of apostl- disciples experienced spirit and peter then went and asked the crowd to repent- many converted Gradual/ sudden Volitional (freely) self surrendering (battle) Passive/active Often transforming “New creation” John
Mythicism key words
Transcendent- no space/ time Ineffable- not expressive Noetic- illuminative truth Unitive Ecstatic
Explain thresa of avril
Paralysed Heaving inspired Disillusioned with practice Concentration with prayer- true union not possible without gods grace Watered garden and castle analogy Captivated Implant Spiritual marriage Soul transformation
William James four characteristics of mystical experience
Ineffable
Noetic
Tranciency
Passivity
What does Rudolph Otto have to argue with mythicism
Look at rational and empirical reasoning
Focus of feeling
Anthropology and naturalism
Word holy
Numinous
Humans yearn for non rational
“Deepest and most fundamental element in all strong and sincerely felt religious emotion”
Challenges to religious experience
Davies challenge 3 distinct forms Discription- contradictory of normal Subject- unreliable Object- unlikely to be entirely true Freud, logical positivism, flew, subjects Swineburn principle of crudulity
