Religous Experience Flashcards
What is a religious experience
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
Characteristics of religious experience
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 :
What is a mystical religious experience
A person believes they have encountered God and feel they gained
A spiritual truth beyond normal understanding
Closer relationship with god
Sense of peace
St Teresa of Avila
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
Aims of William James’ study
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
James’ characteristics of mystical experience
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
How many of James’ characteristics of RE’S does one need to have for him to consider it authentic
All of them
Conversion religious experience
A change in a persons faith cause by a religious experience
William James argued these RE’s offer the strongest evidence for the divine
How does James describe a conversion experience
It is either gradual or sudden
The divided self becomes whole
It is a process
It is self surrendering to the divine
Symptoms felt after conversion
Loss of worry and sense all is well
Sense of perceiving truths not known before
Sense of newness within and without
Happiness
What does Schleiermacher believe about religious experiences
They are self authenticating and don’t need external tests
James conclusion on whether RE’S prove God’s existence
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
Psychological explanation for religious experience
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
Contrast to the belief that supernatural things cause Religious Experiences
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
James’ response to Kant
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
Otto on the ‘numinous’
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
What does a numinous experience feel like
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
Does numinous religious experience prove God’s existence
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
How do people experience numinous
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
Criticisms of Otto
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
Swinburne principle of testimony
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
Swinburne’s principle of Credulity (willingness to believe)
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
James’ thoughts on Swinburnes principle of testimony
For James, testimony isn’t enough to prove RE’s are genuine
The after effects are more important like a change in lifestyle
Criticism of Swinburne principle of testimony
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?)
Problem with RE’s being ineffable (like James and Otto say)
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
Freud on religion
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
Ludwig Feuerbach on God
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
Other options for what causes religious experience and counters
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
Corporate religious experience
People report having the same experience at the same time
What was the Toronto blessing
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
Explanation for corporate religious experience
People want to fit in so may be acting
Placebo effect ?
Laughter contagious
Ineffable
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
