Religious Experience Flashcards
Examples of religious experiences
- prayer
- exorcism
- prophecy
- visions/dreams
- communicating with spirits
- conversion
- miracles
- going to church
- speaking in tongues
Definition of religious experience
A non-empirical occurrence; may be perceived as supernatural
OR
Mental event undergone by an individual who is aware
Individual responses to experiences
They usually say that the experience has drawn them into a deeper knowledge of God
Inferential experiences
Seeing in nature the presence of the divine
Direct experiences
In the same way we directly see a tree (with our physical eyes)
The three types of religious experience
- Conversion/Regenerative
- Mystical
- Prayer
Richard Swinburne’s 5 types of Religious Experience
First 2 are within the public realm and the last 3 are within the private realm
First type of Religious Experience
Seeing Gods action in a public object or scene
- blooming flower
Second type of Religious Experience
A breach of natural law; miracles come under this category
- water turned into wine
Third type of Religious Experience
A personal experience can be explained through normal language
- Moses and the burning bush
Fourth type of Religious Experience
A personal experience that can’t be described through normal language “ineffable”
- mystical elements within religious traditions
Fifth type of Religious Experience
No specific experience, but constant/regular feeling of God simply there
Empirical
The world is based on experience
Theism
The belief that the divine is a personal being
Monotheism
The belief that there is only one divine being
Polytheism
The belief that there is more than one divine being
Alternative explanations for religious experiences
- Hallucinations
- Group hysteria
- Luck / coincidence
- Hoax
- Mental illness
Theism factors
Divine is a personal being - either one or more beings - has many human qualities = decision making/planning Divine being (s) created the world - respond to prayers - perform miracles Forms relationship with humans - seeks to do good / opposes evil
Monism
Everything is God
- sometimes called pantheism
Appearance of the world must be an illusion
- idea of indistinct person is an illusion
Rejects the thought of ‘personhood’
Arguments against the validity of R.E.
If God does not exist R.E. doesn’t either
R.E. can be interpreted by non religious interpretation
experiences can be deceptive
- no proof it is from God
- testimony is unreliable
May be the manifestation of psychological needs
sensation/emotion explained through biological/ imbalances in the body
