Religous Experience Flashcards
Religious Experiences
An experience that is outside normal experience usually involving the supernatural
Conversion - When a person becomes a member of faith often following a dramatic change of heart
Example
Toronto Blessing - World wide spiritual movement in the Pentecost and charismatic churchs
- Hit headlines Jan 1994 at Toronto Airport vineyard church
- Blessing given allowing “Holy Spirit” into church
Immediate effects - people falling on backs, uncontrollable laughter and sounding animal noises
Bible Example of R.EX
Numinous- Transfiguration of Jesus: Visited by Higher power > Jesus visited by moses and elijah on mountain
Conversion: Saul to St Paul on road to Damascus - Saul going to persecute christians, spoken to by Lord > went blind, experience changed his views >started preaching christianity
Miracle: Jesus heals crippled man- man unable to walk, Jesus told him to get up, he did and was able to walk, defies laws of physics and medicine
Answered prayer - Feeding of 5000
Jesus feeds 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Told to sit in groups of 100’s > Food given out > prayer for food and Jesus was able to give everyone
Revelation
Revelence - G-d shoes himself to believers, only way anybody can really know anything about G-d
Immanence - Idea that G-d is present and involved with life on Earth and universe
Transcendence- Idea G-d is outside life on Earth and the universe
Types of revelation
General + Special
In order of importance: Direct meeting (dream or vision), Miracles, Worship, Sacred Writing, Belief, Prayer, Nature, People, Conscience
Revelation to Thiest
- When G-d shows himself and his power to believers
- Only way ppl Know about G-d
- 2 examples from Exodus: G-d reveals himself to Moses via a burning bush and convinces his to go to the pharaoh where he releases 10 Plagues/ Moses parts Red sea with help of G-d
Revelation to Buddhist
- No belief in G-d
- revelation that leads to understanding of the nature of things.
- A type could be Enlightenment
How to see revelation
Holy books - Some books actual G-ds words others inspired by G-d, Hope to get better understanding of teachings of religion and G-ds works
Religious Leaders - Help believers understand G-d, Writes explanations to sacred texts to help interpretation (Rashi, Rumbum), Publish reports on how G-d wants us to live
Life and work of other people
Some died for beliefs, studying other lives can help find more out about G-d, Behaviour and life work so extraordinary that believers think G-d guided them
E.g Martin Luther King, Dalai Lama, Guru Gobind Sing
How to see revelation cont:
Reason, Conscience, and faith - Some believe our ability to reason tells us about G-d
Through nature
Evidence of G-ds immanence
- beauty and power
- Complexing of Human Life
- Creation of Human life
General Revelations:
Seeing G-d in the work of others, in writing of religous leaders and nature
- Adv = Experience for anyone
- Dis Adv = Never specific or personal e.g bible story never happened to them
Examples - Scriptures: Bible, Torah, GGS
Seen as word of G-d or inspiration from
- Mahatma Ghandi - non violence activist, used hindu beliefs to fuel desires. Someone to look up to
Special Revelation:
-Visions
- Miracles e.g someone being healed Lourdes
- Hearing G-ds call
Adv = Can heal people or give guidance
Stays special as rare occurrence
Dis Adv = Only happens to few, lack of belief as lack of evidence of a vision or miracle
- Examples - St Bernadette of Lourdes: Direct contact as had vision of mary 18 times
-Splitting of red sea or cripple man Healed
Alternatives to Revelations
Fraudulent Revelation - Exposed a tricks, motive = Money, E.g Jimmy and tammy baker who faked being christians to make 💰
Conscience- Sigmund Freud said we have guilt because of upbringing not voice of G-d
Wishful thinking:
- So desperate to fit in that they think they have revelation
- Some religious communities say u must have revelation to be allowed in
Ordinary events misinterpreted:
- A dream thought to be a vision from Jesus
- Hallucination from exhaustion or being drunk/high
