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Religious Experience (Numinous (Schleiermacher (1) (Agreed that religious…
Religious Experience
Numinous
Rudolf Otto (2)
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He describes it as "Mysterium tremendum et fascinans":
- Mysterium means it is felt but cannot be describes.
- tremendum is a sense of dread in the presence of an overwhelming being.
- fascinans - being drawn to an experience with a strange fascination
Objections
Too much emphasis on the subjective - reducing religion to emotion and removing the possibility of showing religious claims are based on face
Some critics argue that there has to be a possibility of testing experiences against the Bible or any experiences could could including those bought about by a drug
R W Hepburn
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Draws parallels to other experiences - why do we still feel like we are moving on the sea even when the boat stops?
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We know we cannot put our experience of Beethoven's fifth symphony into words and its the same with numinous experiences
Schleiermacher (1)
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Doctrines such as the creed were attempts by individuals to understand Religious experiences but he disagreed with this because he thought that the experiences are the priority and statements of belief should be moulded to them.
He asserted (contended) that experiences are not numinous but are at their core, a feeling of dependence on the divine or "a source of power that is distinct from this world"
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Numinous experiences are experiences of awe and wonder like a sunset. It is an awareness of human nothingness.
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Visions and Voices
- Corporeal - Vision where the figure is externally present such as St.Bernadette's visions of the virgin Mary.
- Intellectual - Vision where knowledge and understanding is bough about regarding God.
- Imaginary - Visions where something that strengthens faith is seen in the minds eye e.g. Jacob's vision of the ladder leading to heaven
A religious vision occurs when an individual believes they have seen or heard something supernatural or a supernatural being.
Objections - Often linked to physical factors like fasting - putting the body in a weakened state. Some people have raised the issue of how we prove these visions are from God.
William James
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James was an American Doctor, not theologian.
He recognised the term 'mystical' is used in a variety of contexts but he used to refer to a personal who has had a religious experience even though this is very vague, so he defines what a RE is, with 4 critera (PINT)
- Passive - the experience is beyond the individuals control and cannot be obtained by effort, its a gift
- Ineffable - Mysticism, like love it needs to be directly experienced in order to fully understand, beyond words
- Noetic - Revelations and illuminations which provide knowledge and transcend rational categories.
- Transient - Mystical experiences last a short time but well remembered and last a long time
- He argues that all normal persons have religious experiences
- The experience is the final arbiter of truth then God, as the object of religious experiences, must be accepted as factually true
- RE tend to have a profound effect on the lives of people and these effects cannot be put down simply to hallucinations
- It is more reasonable to believe that a real God is responsible for REs, than to attribute those experiences to an imaginary being.
- James was aware that many people believe REs are the product of a faulty mind, but that 'religion and neurosis' aren't incompatible and may be necessary partners.
Swinburne
Principle of Credulity
"If it seems to a subject that X is present, then probably X is present, what one seems to perceive probably is so"
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- The circumstance in which the experience occurred generally produce unreliable results (e.g. intoxication from alcohol)
- The recipient of the experience did not have the ability to interpret the experience (e.g. they are too young)
- It is possible to show that whatever the participant were claiming to have experienced was not there
- It is possible to show that whatever the recipient is claiming to have experienced was there but not involved in the experience
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Swinburne develops an argument for God based on religious experience in his Book 'The Existence of God'
In this book, Swinburne defines a religious experience as "an experience of God or of some other supernatural thing"
Many people have rejected the testimonies of religious experiences on the basis that they don't actually feature God. If we accept his definition, then we must accept the involvement of supernatural beings.
Conversion
Types
1) A conscious, voluntary experience (Gradual Conversion)
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Features
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The Sudden conversion seems to be the most profound and clearly affects people who have no religious faith prior to their conversion.
Likely to include a change in behaviour or belief, which leads to a change in motivation for one's behaviour
Examples
St. Paul - heard the voice of Jesus. After this Paul converted to Christianity and spent the rest of his life spreading the Christian message.
Nicky Cruz - A notorious gang leader of the Mau Maus. Not long after becoming leader, he met David Wilkerson, a Christian preacher. After much persuasion and abuse aimed at Wilkerson, and many prayers, Cruz attended a meeting that Wilkerson was leading and felt an overwhelming guilt. Cruz asked for God's forgiveness and began to study the Bible.
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Corporate Experiences
Examples
Toronto Blessing of 1944 when members of a congregation claimed to be affected by the Holy Spirit. The result was uncontrollable laughing, making animal noises and uncontrollable weeping.
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Weaknesses
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They don't often match with sacred texts and what is revealed about God contradicts the idea that the Holy Spirit brings order to worship.
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Types
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Private
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A Personal experience also cannot be described with normal language - it is ineffable. e.g. 'mystical experiences' that can only be explained using metaphors.
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