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religious experience scholars - Coggle Diagram
religious experience scholars
Rudolf Otto (1869-1937)
Otto was a Protestant theologian
He used his knowledge on natural sciences, comparitive religion and oriental traditions to tru to analyse religion.
But in his book "the idea of the holy" he specifically tried to understand what made a religious experience religious and not just an experience.
He said it was fundamental to religion that individuals should have a sense of personal encounter with natural forces which he described as 'Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans'
Mysterium- the mystery of religious experiences.
Tenendum- sense of awe at religious experiences.
Fascians- fascination with the divine.
Otto said that the divine would be recognised as having three main qualities:
A mysterious quality- God is incomprehensible, can be met yet not captured, fully understood or described.
God is recognised as being of ultimate importance
God has a quality that is both attractive and dangerous- God cant be controlled but the individual still feels a sense of privilege during religious experience.
Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834)
Roman Catholic tradition the experiences of the mystics had to be tested against church teachings and scripture before being considered genuine. Whereas in Schleiermacher's view experiences should have priority and the statements of belief should be formulated to fit them.
Schleiermacher was reacting to the contemporary eighteenth-century Germany view that reason was of prime importance.
Thinks doctrine like the creed were individuals trying to understand their religious experiences.
Called religion "aa sense and taste for the infinite" "the feeling of absolute dependence" believing feeling and experience were all important.
Schleiermacher thinks religious experience is 'self-authenticating' and requires no other testing to see if its genuine.
Scheliemacher thought religious ecperience could take many forms in different cultures with the different religions of the world being a reflection of this.
Religious people try to develop the divine.
Thought Christianity was the highest of religions but not the only true one because Jesus was the only example of someone with complete 'good-consciousness''
He believes that every person has a consciousness of the divine, but can be obscured by other concerns.
People that criticised Schleiermacher's views thought he put to much emphasis on the subjective which removed the possibility of showing religious claims are based on fact and rather reducing them to emotion.
Otto developed his ideas from Schleiermacher
Others argue that you have to be able to test experiences otherwise anyone and everyone could have a religious experience whether they were on drugs or due to mental illness.
Friedrich Schleiermacher was a theologian who claimed that the essence of religion was based on personal experience, and wasn't enough it agree to a set of doctrines or commit to a set of ethical principles.
William James (1842-1910)