Religous Experience

Question 1

What is a religious experience

Answer 1

Experience in which person believes they are connecting with god or a higher power in some way
It is considered a ‘revelation’ because it reveals knowledge about God that would otherwise be unknown

Question 2

Characteristics of religious experience

Answer 2

Hearing a voice (St paul commanded to go to Damascus to be converted after hearing Jesus)
Voice may reveal information like at Jesus baptism God reveals Jesus is his son

Visions :

Question 3

What is a mystical religious experience

Answer 3

A person believes they have encountered God and feel they gained
A spiritual truth beyond normal understanding
Closer relationship with god
Sense of peace

Question 4

St Teresa of Avila

Answer 4

Had many encounters with Jesus through vision and ecstatic religious experiences
One of these was a golden spear piercing her side filling her with an immense feeling of love

Question 5

Aims of William James’ study

Answer 5

James wanted to separate legitimate claims of religious experience from false ones
James aPproached his study from a secular , impartial point of view with two key aim :
Find if there are characteristics common to people from a variety of different religions and cultures and to divorce particular religious interpretations
To analyse whether a religious experience can form an objective argument for the existence of God

Question 6

James’ characteristics of mystical experience

Answer 6

Ineffable : impossible to express into words
The RE goes far beyond human powers of description

Noetic : this person received knowledge of God which is otherwise not available and the experience is therefore direct revelation from God

Transient : experience not permanent and usually under half an hour however it’s effects are long lasting (changes in the person show it’s authentic)

Passive : the person wasn’t in control over what was happening and it felt as if they were being controlled by a superior power. James saw this as evidence people can’t put RE’s down to the person willing it to happen

Question 7

How many of James’ characteristics of RE’S does one need to have for him to consider it authentic

Answer 7

All of them

Question 8

Conversion religious experience

Answer 8

A change in a persons faith cause by a religious experience
William James argued these RE’s offer the strongest evidence for the divine

Question 9

How does James describe a conversion experience

Answer 9

It is either gradual or sudden
The divided self becomes whole
It is a process
It is self surrendering to the divine

Question 10

Symptoms felt after conversion

Answer 10

Loss of worry and sense all is well
Sense of perceiving truths not known before
Sense of newness within and without
Happiness

Question 11

What does Schleiermacher believe about religious experiences

Answer 11

They are self authenticating and don’t need external tests

Question 12

James conclusion on whether RE’S prove God’s existence

Answer 12

They don’t - a positive change could happen because the person believes they have encountered God but not because they really have
However, the effects of the experience point towards the divine - it is unreasonable to reject RE’s just because of skepticism
James leaves possibility of God open

Question 13

Psychological explanation for religious experience

Answer 13

James argues a RE is completely natural and everyone can have one
Schleiermacher also argues RE’s come natural to humans because we have a deep slanted sense of the divine but most obscure this sense with other concerns

Question 14

Contrast to the belief that supernatural things cause Religious Experiences

Answer 14

Kant argues people interpret their RE’s in ways that match their own beliefs (Christian see Mary and Hindu sees Vishnu)
But if each experience is genuine how can contrasting beliefs all be true
E.g. a Hindu may see many Gods how can this coincide with a Christian who sees one
This shows they are creations of our inner mind and more of a wish fulfilment

Question 15

James’ response to Kant

Answer 15

Whilst people hold different beliefs they live their life similarly, (the effect of the RE is similar)
If the experience has positive effects then it is in some way true hence theirs truth in all faith

Question 16

Otto on the ‘numinous’

Answer 16

Ordinary language can’t do justice to religious experience
This new term numinous (from Latin word numen meaning divine power) is used to describe a religious experience

Question 17

What does a numinous experience feel like

Answer 17

Undescribable but person could list their feelings during it
Otto believes during an encounter with God a person feels terrifying compelling mystery
A person becomes aware of their insignificance and appreciates God is wholly other

Question 18

Does numinous religious experience prove God’s existence

Answer 18

For Otto, numinous experience is the strongest reason concluding God exists
The feeling of being overwhelmed in Gods presence is evidence the experience is external - Gods presence exists outside the person not inside

Question 19

How do people experience numinous

Answer 19

It can happen any time even when you get a feeling of awe and wonder through nature and thus is counted as an experience with God

Question 20

Criticisms of Otto

Answer 20

He has no logical way of knowing what an experience with God is like unless someone described it to him which, according to him, is Impossible so he is making it up himself

Question 21

Swinburne principle of testimony

Answer 21

if you’d normally believe some if they told you they had a nice walk down the river then you should also believe someone if they tell you about a RE
It is up to the questioner to prove the testimony wrong

Question 22

Swinburne’s principle of Credulity (willingness to believe)

Answer 22

We should trust our senses and believe what appears to be the case and therefore believe in our own RE’s even if some others are proven to be false

Question 23

James’ thoughts on Swinburnes principle of testimony

Answer 23

For James, testimony isn’t enough to prove RE’s are genuine
The after effects are more important like a change in lifestyle

Question 24

Criticism of Swinburne principle of testimony

Answer 24

Problem of other minds :
I can never be certain someone else isn’t lying or been deceived by their senses as I can only confirm my own thoughts
Perhaps we should consider a persons past, reputation, whether they have a bias, whether they gain something from their claim (fame?)

Question 25

Problem with RE’s being ineffable (like James and Otto say)

Answer 25

This would make them impossible to interpret and therefore they are most likely always interpreted wrong .. often in a way matching their own beliefs which is why Christians see Mary and Hindus see their Gods
Therefore it seeems unlikely one divine source creates all RE’s as people see contrasting faiths

Question 26

Freud on religion

Answer 26

Religion is an illusion as adults cannot cope with feeling out of control , natural disaster, etc, they invent a parent figure who will protect and defend them - God
This childish belief is in conflict with the conscious and unconscious mind in which the ego tries to balance the opposing demands

Question 27

Ludwig Feuerbach on God

Answer 27

Firstly God is often describe with positive attributes
Feuerbach believes this is people projecting their own attributes outside of themselves and holding them up as something to be worshipped in God
Thus, people created God in their own image
They think they are experiencing the presence of God but are simply worshipping their own nature

Question 28

Other options for what causes religious experience and counters

Answer 28

Drugs, medication, meditation all could be reasons for religious experience
Counter is maybe these just allow the brain to reach a level of consciousness where it can come into contact with the divine

Epilepsy ? In his conversion Saul reported seeing a bright light resulting in temporary loss of sight, often attributed to epilepsy

Question 29

Corporate religious experience

Answer 29

People report having the same experience at the same time

Question 30

What was the Toronto blessing

Answer 30

In 1990s people worshipping at Toronto church claim to have the same religious experience
Symptoms include : uncontrollable laughter ; weeping ; shrieking ; speaking in strange languages
Worshippers claim they were acting under the influence of the holy spirit

Question 31

Explanation for corporate religious experience

Answer 31

People want to fit in so may be acting
Placebo effect ?
Laughter contagious

Question 32

Ineffable

Answer 32

Unable to describe in words - beyond proper description
James suggests this is the most obvious mark of religious experiences
He states that only a musician can truly hear a symphony and only someone who has been in love understands love, so too is this ineffable encounter has to be directly experienced