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PHILOSOPHY: THEME 4 - RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE - Coggle Diagram
PHILOSOPHY: THEME 4 - RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
otto
said experiences of God was an 'apprehension of the wholly other', otherwise known as 'numinous' - the world that is beyond physical observance
otto
describes experiences of God were outside of our knowledge and experience
in
otto's
book 'the idea of the holy', he used 'numinous' to describe experiences, where one was both attracted and repelled by a sense of awe + wonder
simon peter: catch of fish - 'depart from me, for i am a sinful man, o lord' (luke 5:8)
analysed this in the latin phrase 'mysterium tremendum et fascinans'
tremendum
awe-fulness
inspiring awe
over-
poweringness
inspiring feelings of humility
energy
vigour, compelling
mysterium
wholly other
outside normal experience
fascination
person is caught up in the experience
fascinans
the mixture of dread, awe and fascination felt by the person going through the numinous experience, both being terrified and full of wonder, unable to tear themselves away
WILLIAM JAMES
definition of religion
'the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine'
note that religious experience have great authority over the person that has them, and can have long-lasting effect
conversion experiences are characterised by religious beliefs becoming central to a person's life
saul's conversion, on the road to damascus
created four characteristics to be found in mystical experiences
p
assive
not initiated by the mystic, but feel as if something is acting upon them
i
neffable
experience is beyond proper description, direct experience of God goes beyond human powers of description
n
oetic quality
mystics receive knowledge of God that is not available through other means, and can be seen as direct revelations from God
t
ranscience
experience is temporary that cannot be sustained, but may have long-lasting effects
said religious experiences were 'psychological phenomena', part of psychological make-up
three key principles
p
ragmatism
believed truth wasn't fixed and what is true is whatever has great value to us, including religious experiences, so we have to conclude that there is truth found in religion
p
luralism
case studies provide empirical evidence of effects of religious experience, giving us clues to the reality beyond what we observe. james says we interpret all our experiences
e
mpericism
concluded that experiences in different faiths were similar, having the same ultimate reality but interpret as their religious belief structure
ST. TERESA OF AVILA
STAGES OF PRAYER
meditation
mental prayer, where one meditates on the life of christ, achieved through one's own efforts
prayer of quiet
borders on the supernatural, cannot be achieved on our own. should be rested in and other prayer practices should be put aside. an individual is in union with god, and the experience feels as if no greater blessing is possible
prayer of union
an individual becomes absorbed in union; a union of the soul with god, and is greater than the prayer of quiet. one's own mind may try to form a distraction, but should be ignored. a prayer teresa was granted in abundance
rapture
god gathers the soul, and it no longer seems to control your body. hearing and thinking are dimmed, and the individual feels no power left. the soul soars upwards, above all created.
TYPES OF PRAYER
first three mansions: getting closer to god
fourth mansion: prayer of quiet
the human will be completely captivated by god's love, so they experience peace + spiritual delight, which can be so intense that the person will seem semi-comatose, also known as 'sleep of the faculties'
fifth mansion: prayer of simple union
'god implants himself in the interior of the soul in such a way that, when it returns to itself, it cannot possibly doubt that god has been in it and it has been in god.'
sixth mansion: stage of spiritual marriage
main experiences include rapture, feelings of painful longing, spiritual ecstasy, visions. the sense of wanting to be able to spend every moment alone with the divine 'spouse' and complete rejection of all obstructions
seventh mansion: stage of mystical marriage
the highest possible state of prayer, complete unity with the divine is felt, to where an intimate and perceptive awareness, knowledge and understanding of the divine is intuitively felt
TYPES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES
mystical
paul tillich - two stages of a mystical experience
conversion
'volitional type' (gradual conversion)
'self surrender type' (sudden conversion)
visions
intellectual
st teresa and her consciousness of christ
imaginative
joseph (jesus' father) and his dream
corporeal
st bernadette
voices
prayer