Verifying Religious Experiences

Question 1

What is P.I.N.T?

Answer 1

An acronym to explain William James’ criteria for assessing the genuine nature of a religious experience

Question 2

Explain the P.I.N.T acronym:

Answer 2

P - Passivity: You are passive in the experience- you cannot induce or direct what happens to you; the experience controls you.

I - Ineffability: In cannot be articulated in words; you may only be able to say what it was not.

N - Noetic Quality: It contains deep insight into truths. This is non-rational and intuitive knowledge (rather than intellectual).

T - Transience: The experience is short (e.g. 1-2 hours). However, it has a lifelong impact on the individual.

Question 3

William James said you should judge the experience by its…

Answer 3

“FRUITS NOT ROOTS”:

Question 4

Describe Saul/St Paul’s religious experience:

Answer 4

• St Paul, who was once named Saul, was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians before being blinded by a bright light from heaven and saw Jesus who told him to stop persecuting Christians, and gave him instructions to go into the city.
• Saul was then blinded for three days because of the bright holy light, until a disciple of Jesus, Ananias, restored Saul’s sight at the command of God.

Question 5

Explain the impact Saul/St Paul’s religious experience had on him:

Answer 5

• This religious experience impacted Paul as he transformed from being a Christian persecutor to being one of the biggest Christian evangelists. It was his 13 letters promoting Christianity, that not only made up half of the New Testament, but also founded Christianity as a religion.

Question 6

Describe St Bernadette of Lourdes’ religious experience:

Answer 6

• At the age of 14, had the first of 18 visions of the Virgin Mary, who revealed herself with the words “I am the immaculate conception”.

During one vision, Mary told the young girl to drink water from a spring at a particular location. But Mary could not find the spring, so she dug the ground until water came out, thus producing a spring that is still running with water today.

• The water from this spring is claimed to have healing properties, and during later visions, Bernadette claimed that the Virgin Mother wanted a chapel to be build on the holy site so that people could visit in processions.

Question 7

Explain the impact St Bernadette of Lourdes’ religious experience had on her

Answer 7

• Despite all the scepticism Bernadette received, at the time, she not only defended her claims but also went on to become a nun.
• Bernadette never returned to Lourdes (likely due to the overwhelming experience at such a young age). Yet, 5 million people visit Lourdes every year, and 70 miraculous healings have been “recognised” to occur from the Lourdes’ spring since 1858.

Question 8

Describe Davey Falcus’ religious experience:

Answer 8

• He is the author of “From Gangland to God”.
• Until the age of 29, Falcus had lived his entire life full of crime, drugs and alcohol abuse. He was a part of “Geordie Mafia” and had been jailed twice.
• He was incredibly unhappy, even trying religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, but become suicidal as he could not seem to find internal peace.
• But that all changed when he picked up a Bible and called out to Jesus to prove he was God. He claimed that the room grew “brighter” until Jesus stood in front of him and said “Son, your sins are forgiven, go now and sin no more.”

Question 9

Explain the impact Davey Falcus’ religious experience had on him:

Answer 9

• This religious experience impacted him as his life drastically changed. He left his life of crime, despite this meaning he no longer had any financial security like he used to, he felt happier.

-He claimed that all of his substance addictions had instantly “lifted” from him.

• Eventually, he became a happy father, husband and even minister.

Question 10

Explain Richard Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity:

Answer 10

• We should assume things are credible unless proven otherwise.
• WE OUGHT TO BELIEVE THAT THINGS ARE AS THEY SEEM TO BE, UNTIL WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT WE ARE MISTAKEN.

Question 11

Explain Richard Swinburne’s Principle of Testimony:

Answer 11

• We should assume people are telling the truth unless we have evidence that proves otherwise (innocent until proven guilty).
• In the absence of special considerations the experiences of others are probably as they report them.

Question 12

Finish this quote:

“On our total evidence, theism is…”

Answer 12

• “…more probable than not”
• Richard Swinburne

Question 13

Finish this quote:

““We ought to believe that things are as they seem to be,…”

Answer 13

“…until we have evidence that we are mistaken”

• Richard Swinburne

Question 14

Finish this quote:

“If you say, never trust appearances until it is proved that they are reliable,…”

Answer 14

“…you will never have any beliefs at all.”

• Richard Swinburne

Question 15

Finish this quote:

“Just as you must trust your five ordinary senses,…”

Answer 15

“…so it is equally rational to trust your religious sense.”

• Richard Swinburne

Question 16

Strength’s of Swinburne’s Religious Experience Argument:

Answer 16

1. It is consistent with William James’ pragmatist belief that experiences should be judged by their “fruits not roots”.
2. Swinburne does take into account “special considerations” that may influence the reliability of someone’s testimony.
3. Reflects how humans navigate through life in general- we would not be able to get through life if we demanded proof before accepting people’s testimony.
4. He acknowledges that his method is not absolutely perfect, but it still ultimately makes God’s existence more probable than not (an inductive argument).

Question 17

Weaknesses of Swinburne’s Religious Experience Argument:

Answer 17

1. He makes a dubious claim that sense experiences are reliable, therefore religious experiences are reliable evidence for the existence of God.
2. Personal testimony is not sufficient as absolute proof- even if the person wholeheartedly believed it was a religious experience, it doesn’t mean God was actually the answer.
3. Plato said that we cannot trust our senses or empirical experience, as “the body is an endless source of trouble for us”. (This is illustrated by contemporary criticisms of religious experiences, which show such experiences to be the result of hallucinations, illnesses, or substance/drug consumption.)

Question 18

Explain this criticism of religious experiences…

FREUD: RELIGION IS AN ILLUSION

Answer 18

• Freud says: “Religion is an illusion” / “The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind”
• Sigmund Freud argued that “religion is an illusion” and that visions, at best, are signs of immaturity, but at worst, signs of mental illness. He investigated the role of the subconscious mind and believed that religious belief in God was the result of infantile need for a powerful “father figure”. Religion is the projection of our greatest hopes, fears and desires (e.g. for protection and security).

Question 19

Explain this criticism of religious experiences…

BERTRAND RUSSELL: THEY ARE HALLUCINATIONS

Answer 19

• He says: “There is no difference between someone who eats too little and sees Heaven and someone who drinks too much and sees snakes”
• Religious experiences have physiological/ psychological explanations. For example, they are hallucinations as a result of eating too little. They do not prove the existence of God because they have a scientific explanation- they are delusions.

Question 20

Explain this criticism of religious experiences…

CHARLES STROSS: THEY ARE MISINTERPRETATIONS

Answer 20

(Charles Stross is a British science fiction and fantasy writer)

• He says: “One ape’s hallucinations is another ape’s religious experience”
• Apparent “religious experiences” are misinterpretations. Humans wrongly interpret physiologically originating experiences as divine. This is often as a result of social influences. For example, someone from a Christian background may have visions of Jesus. The cultural relativism of such experiences demonstrates their human origins.

Question 21

Explain this criticism of religious experiences…

ALBERT SCHWEITZER: PAUL HAD AN EPILEPTIC FIT

Answer 21

(Albert Schweitzer was a 20th century theologian, philosopher and physician).

• Schweitzer studies the particular case study of St Paul, and finds the “most natural hypothesis” is that Paul is suffering from epileptiform attacks, hence the hearing of voices and temporary loss of eyesight. Indeed, people with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) are sometimes prone to religious visions and mystical experiences.
• Therefore, “his experience at his conversion really happened during some attack”.