Religious Experiences

Question 1

Who is William James

Answer 1

American philosopher and psychologist who explored different religious experiences

Question 2

What did William James identify

Answer 2

Four characteristics of religious experiences especially mystical experiences

Question 3

What are the four characteristics by William James ?

Answer 3

Inffeable, noetic , transcient , and passivity

Question 4

What is ineffable?

Answer 4

Cannot be expressed with words

Question 5

What is noetic ?

Answer 5

Direct and deep Knowlege of God

Question 6

What is transient?

Answer 6

Passes with time but long lasting effects

Question 7

What is passivity ?

Answer 7

Receiver being acted upon but not contributing towards experience

Question 8

WHO retorted against William James ?

Answer 8

Dr David Luke

Question 9

What did Dr David Luke do ?

Answer 9

Believed James definitions are not broad enough and added more the his characteristic

Question 10

What did Dr David Luke add to characterstjcs ?

Answer 10

• Transcedence
• paradoxicality
• unity
• positive mood

Question 11

What is transcendence ?

Answer 11

Experience that goes beyond normal
Limits of time and space

Question 12

What is paradoxility ?

Answer 12

Absurd experience when investigated may be true

Question 13

What is unity ?

Answer 13

Being at one with higher being or universe

Question 14

What is positive mood ?

Answer 14

Sense of bliss

Question 15

How should a religious experience be judged?

Answer 15

Judged by its fruits (effects ) not being its roots (cause )

Question 16

What are the different explanations to religious experiences ?

Answer 16

Psychological (mind)
Physiological (body)

Question 17

What did Paul experience ?

Answer 17

Paul experiencing religious experience , but might not be the whole explanation but explains eplitic episodes so fruits not roots

Question 18

What are William James key principles

Answer 18

• Pragmatism
• Empiricism
• pluralism

Question 19

What is pragmatism ?

Answer 19

Idea of truth

Question 20

What is a mystical experience ?

Answer 20

Direct experience of God or oneness of God

Question 21

A sense of union with a higher power which is ?

Answer 21

Transcienr
Noetic
Infalliabke
Passive

Question 22

What other experience does William James talk about ?

Answer 22

Conversion experience

Question 23

What is a conversion experience ?

Answer 23

Experience that causes a gradual change in a persons way of life

Question 24

How does William James see conversion experience ?

Answer 24

Shifting of energies

Question 25

What can conversion experience do ?

Answer 25

• can judge by experience by fruits (not effects)
• don’t need whole explanation
• occupy centre of person consciousness

Question 26

What mystical experience give ?

Answer 26

Unity with God

Question 27

Example of musical experience ?

Answer 27

Paul

Question 28

What does Otto Ruldoph say about numinous experience ?

Answer 28

• Mysterious
• tremendous and terrifying
• fascinating and compelling

Question 29

What is numinous about experience ?

Answer 29

Experience of awe and wonder at the presence of God

Question 30

What does Richard Swinburne say ?

Answer 30

The principle of credulity and principle of testimony

Question 31

What is principle of credulity ?

Answer 31

Accept what appear to be our sense and the case

Question 32

What is principle of testimony ?

Answer 32

Believe what other day has happened unless good reason not to

Question 33

What does St Thersesa of Avila agree with ?

Answer 33

Fruits is important to test validity

Question 34

What does St Theresa disagree with ?

Answer 34

Dogma and doctrine are important measures but James sees this an second hand experience rather first

Question 35

Retorts to James and swinburne ?

Answer 35

• experiences are interpreted differently according to religious so different truths
• measuring truth is important

Question 36

What is a corporate religious experience ?

Answer 36

Religious experience shared by a group of people

Question 37

What is an example of corporate experience example ?

Answer 37

Toronto Blessing

Question 38

Example of Toronto blessing ?

Answer 38

Worshippers at Toronto Blessing airport fellowship experience holy laughter , cry and shrieking experience by Holy Spirit

Question 39

Strength of conversion

Answer 39

Shared experience so more reliable as exprieced by more than one person

Question 40

Objections of corporation expreience ?

Answer 40

Trivial act as message from God would be more important
- mass hysteria : in groups people can spontaneously experience symptoms of physiological stimulus