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RS Philosphy Class notes > Religious experience > Flashcards

Religious experience Flashcards

1
Q

What is a Religious experience?

A

It is an encounter with the divine. It is a non-empirical occurence and may be perceived as supernatural.

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2
Q

What type of Argument is RE and why is it that?

A

It is a Posteriori argument, as it is based on claimed experience from God.

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3
Q

What is the problem of claimed experiences from God?

A

The problem is whether these claimed experiences are good evidence of the existence of God and sometimes experiences can be mistaken.

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4
Q

What are the most widely accepted distinctions of Religious experiences?

A

Inferential experiences e.g. seeing in nature the presence of the divine
Direct experiences- in the same way we see a tree.

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5
Q

Name me 6 types of religious experiences.

A 
Conversion 
Revelation 
Corporate 
Numinous 
Mysticism 
Near death experiences.
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6
Q

What is another word to describe religious experience?

A

It can be Ineffable (to extreme to describe in words)

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7
Q

What does St Theresa of Avila say about religious experience? (Quote)

A

‘wholly impossible to doubt that i have been in God and God in me’

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8
Q

What does the quote ‘wholly impossible to doubt that i have been in God and God in me’ mean?

A

The experience she had after experience God was so strong that, even if their is no evidence, she has no doubt God is with her.

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9
Q

Name 3 common themes of Religious experiences?

A

A feeling of deep, inner peace
A belief that love is at the centre of everything
Great emotional intensity.

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10
Q

What is a conversion?

A

‘Religious conversion’ is the process that leads to the adoption of a religious attitude or way of life.

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11
Q

Who is the theologian assoicated with a conversion?

A

Rudolf Otto who coined the word ‘Numinous’ - is often described as the feeling of being in the presence of something greater. Often a person would see a vision and then experience a feeling of power and majesty from God. He used the idea in ‘The idea of the holy’

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12
Q

What is the most famous example of a conversion?

A

Paul’s conversion

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13
Q

What happens in Paul’s conversion?

A

Saul prosecuted the belivers of Jesus, on his way to prosecute the people, he was blinded by the light. Jesus told Saul to go into the city and follow his instructions. Jesus instructed Ananains to touch Saul, Saul receives the holly spirit and is baptized.He turns into Paul spreading christian messages around.

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14
Q

What is a Revelatory experience?

A

It is where God makes himself directly knwon, e,g, through a vision or dream. There are 2 types Propositional revelation and Non-propositional revelation.

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15
Q

What is Propositional revelation?

A

God communicates his divine message e.g. Moses collecting 10 commandments.

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16
Q

What is Non-propositional revelation?

A

Person comes to realize divine truth through religious experience e,g, Buddha gained enlightenment.

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17
Q

What does a Thesitic view mean )a type of Mystic experience)?

A

it is the belief that the divine is a personal being.

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18
Q

What does a Monistic view mean ( a type of Mystic experience)?

A

It is the believe that everything is God.

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19
Q

What does Polytheism mean?

A

It is the belief that there is more than one divine being.

20
Q

What is a Near death experience?

A

When a person dies, usually in a medical operation, and is later resuscitated (revive (someone) from unconsciousness) and can recall the experience of what happened to him/her when they died.

21
Q

What is a Corporate experience?

A

When a large number of people share the same experience.

22
Q

What is an example of a Corporate experience?

A

Toronto Blessing A02: Group hysteria

23
Q

What was the Toronto blessing?

A

When large amounts od people seeking the experience God at the same time.

24
Q

What is a Mystical experience? (

A

A mystical experience is one, which a person experiences the ultimate reality. It is difficult to describe in normal language.

25
Q

Who is the theorists associated with a Mystical experience?

A

William James

26
Q

What does William James say about RE?

A

He said that RE’s are emotional reactions at God. The emotions are ususally ‘A renewed approach to life and a joyful desire to belong to God. He concluded that there are 4 common factors of a mystical experience.

27
Q

What are the 4 common factors of a mystical experience?

A

1) Ineffability ( there are no words to describe the feeling)
2) Noetic quality (The person receives knowledge of the divine which is not otherwise available. Direct revelation)
3) Transiency - the experience is brief but profoundly important.
4) Passivity - The person feels they are taken over by a superior authority.

28
Q

What does Paul Tillich say about Religious experience?

A

He said that religious experience produces a feeling of ‘ultimate concern’ - a feeling that demands a decisive decisions from the person receiving it.

29
Q

Who is the person who sorts the 5 different types of RE into 2 realm’s?

A

Richard Swinburne.

30
Q

What does Richard Swinburne say about the 2 realms of RE that 2 go into 1 and 3 go to the second realm?

A

There is a public realm , where you see God’s action in a public object or scene (sunset, really being hand of God) ]
Private realm, which is a personal experience than can mostly be described through normal language.

31
Q

Who is the main thinker who supports RE?

A

Richard Swinburne.

32
Q

How does Richard Swinburne support RE?

A

Through his principle of Testimony and Credulity

33
Q

What is the Principle of Testimony?

A

We cannot constantly doubt people’s account of religious experience.

34
Q

What is the principle of Credulity?

A

unless we have overwhelming evidence to the contrary, then we should believe that things there as they seem to be.

35
Q

Give 4 arguments for RE?

A

1) The influence it has on people is so great it must be genuine ( James ‘a renewed outlook on life, Paul’s conversion)
2) The argument is culumative (if we take all the different arguments about RE together, it is more convincing than one)
3) Swinburne (Principle of testimony and credulity)
4) The argument is Inductive ( the more of subjective testimonies of individuals who claim to have had religious experience, the more evidence of RE)

36
Q

What could be another argument for RE?

A

Shared experiences can’t mean that they are all lying.

37
Q

What are 4 weakenesses of religious experiences?

A

1) People can be mislead or mistaken and also cannot be verified by objective empirical testing.
2) critics of this suggest that RE could have a natural explanation schrizophenia, drugs, group hysteria)
3) Wittengstein used notion of seeing as, suggesting that each persons experiences things differently. (subjective and unreliable)
4) Issues with consistency, there are many types of religious experiences, vastly different, if God is the creator of all of them, there would be a similiartiy between them? e.g. why dont Hindus see the virgin mary?

38
Q

What are 3 key thinkers who add to the weakenss of RE?

A

Freud
Dawkins
Flew

39
Q

What does Freud say that serves as a criticism to RE?

A

He suggest that RE is a psychological reaction to the hostile world- we feel helpless and so create God in our minds as a great father and protector.

40
Q

What does Dawkins say that serves as a critiscm to RE?

A

‘If we are gullible we do not recognize hallucinations and lucid dreams for what they are’ , basically saying that they are just illusions to help use cope with the fear of the unknown.

41
Q

What does Flew say which serves as a criticism of RE?

A

Flew argued that Religious believers are so convinced of the truth of their religious statements, that they often refuse to consider evidence to the contrary. e.g. God is the 3 Omni’s but there is suffering in the world.

42
Q

What sorry did Flew use to prove his point?

A

The parable of the Gardener.

43
Q

What was the Parable of the gardener?

A

Two men are in a overgrown garden. The first man sees plants growing among the weeds and says there must be a Gardner. But none of the neighbors has seen one. The second man questions the first and then the first man says the Gardner must be invisible. They inspect garden and see some things reflect a Gardner and some don’t.

44
Q

What does the Parable of the Gardener show?

A

Highlights how believers refuse to accept anything that counts against the existence of God.

45
Q

What is the first Paragraph for the Question ‘‘Assess possible alternative explanation for the cause of RE’?

A

P- Group Hysteria
E- Toronto blessing
E- Worked themselves up and being mistaken
A-significant bevause you cannot prove God’s existence.
CA- However the influence is so great it must be genuine, supported by principle of Testimony.

46
Q

What is the second Paragraph for the Question ‘‘Assess possible alternative explanation for the cause of RE’?

A

P-Some people may imagine the experience because they wanted to believe it.
E - If we are gullible, we don’t recognize lucid dreams or hallicunations’
E- It is just an illusion to enable people to cope with unknown
A- Significant because God is a protector and people are refuse against God’s existence.
CA- The argument is Culumative
T- there must be a common creator

47
Q

What is the third Paragraph for the Question ‘‘Assess possible alternative explanation for the cause of RE’?

A

P - Drugs
E - Schizophrenia ( claiming to see a vision, it is a mental illness)
E - Natural explanations account for an apparent divine, it affects your brain process.
A- RE can be proofed empirically, but in a natural way, as their is a cause and effect relationship
CA - The argument is cumulative.

RS Philosphy Class notes (5 decks)

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