Religious Exprience Flashcards
Religious experience
A moment when a person comes into contact with God in some way
William James
American Psychologist and Philosopher
Wrote on the the idea of Religious Experience
4 Main Characteristics of Religious Experience PINT
William James believed that there were 4 features of religious experience
PASSIVITY
INEFFABLE
NOETIC
TRANSIENT
4 Main Characteristics of Religious Experience PASSIVITY
The EXPERIENCER has a sense something is ACTING UPON THEM
They are not taking the leading role
4 Main Characteristics of Religious Experience INEFFABLE
The experience is BEYOND PROPER DESCRIPTION CANNOT be EXPRESSED with WORDS
James claimed this was the most OBVIOUS MARK of RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
4 Main Characteristics of Religious Experience NOETIC
The EXPERIENCER feels they have GAINED DEEP and DIRECT KNOWLEDGE of God
Knowledge DEEPER than that of EVERYDAY EVENTS
4 Main Characteristics of Religious Experience TRANSIENT
It PASSES with TIME it’s only TEMPORARY.
EFFECTS of the EXPERIENCE may be LONGER LASTING
William James’ Key principles for his RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
Pragmatism
Empiricism
Pluralism
William James’ Key principles for his RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE Pragmatism
A philosophical movement that argues that TRUTH is not something FIXED
But whatever has VALUE for us.
A THEORY Must be treated as TRUE if it WORKS in PRACTICE
Therefore we must conclude RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES are True, as the EFFECTS are EVIDENTAL
William James’ Key principles for his RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE EMPIRICISM
The idea that OBSERVATIONS via our SENSE lead us to UNDERSTANDING of the world
The EFFECTS of RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE;CONVERSION EXPERIENCE can be observed as EMPIRICALLY DATA
William James’ Key principles for his RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE -PLURALISM
Idea that TRUTH can be found in ALL RELIGIONS
James claims that EXPERINECE in DIFFERENT FAITHS showed there were SIMILARITIES
Therefore there is TRUTH in all RELIGIONS
Mystical experience William James
William James and other thinkers believed Religious Experiences as primarily MYSTICAL in Nature
Mystical Experience Definition
A DIRECT EXPERIENCE of God or ULTIMATE REALITY
A sense of ONENESS of all things
Mystical Experience St Teresa of Avila
She argues that EXPERIENCES should be subject to TESTS to determine if they are GENUINE
;Does it have a POSITIVE change in the person
Has it left them at PEACE or DISTURBED
Does the Experience FIT with the TEACHINGS of the CHURCH
Mystical Experience St Teresa of Avila QUOTE Example
“For neither with the eyes did I see anything …. I thought he was quite close to me … all the time Jesus Christ seemed to be beside me “
Rudolph Otto
Protestant Theologian
Attempted to identify what made religious experience RELIGIOUS rather than just Experience
Believed it was RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE was NUMINOUS
Numinous Experience
An experience of AWE and WONDER in the PRESENCE of God- how OTTO saw Religious Experience
Aware of our INSIGNIFICANCE in the PRESENCE of God
Three Qualities to Numinous Exprience
According to Otto
Otto describes a Numinous Experience in THREE WAYS;
Mysterium-Mysterious
Tremendum-Tremendous/terrifying
Fascinans- Fascinating/Compelling
Three Qualities to Numinous Exprience
According to Otto -MYSTERIUM
A religious experience containing a MYSTERIOUS QUALITY
The REALISATION that God can never TRULY BE UNDERSTOOD
Similar to ASLAN from LION WITCH WADROBE
Three Qualities to Numinous Exprience
According to Otto -TREMENDUM
God is Recognised of SUPREME IMPORTANCE thus we are FILLED with
AWE AND RESPECTFUL-FEAR of Him
; AWE-INSPIRED TERROR
Three Qualities to Numinous Exprience
According to Otto -FASCINANS
God has a quality that FASCINATES US
We are DRAWN TOWRDS HIM
He is both ATTRACTIVE and DANGEROUS
We feel a SENSE OF PRIVILEGE in his PRESENCE
Conversion Experience
An Expreince which causes a SUDDEN or GRADUAL CHANGE in SOMEONE’S BELIFE SYSTEM
Conversion Experience -William James
William James believed it was a way of SHIFTING ENERGIES
He also claimed that from a PSYCHOLOGICAL viewpoint it can be claimed that the SUBCONSCIOUS may be ACTIVE in a similar way to when someone is in a HYPNOTIC STATE