5) Religious experience Flashcards
(14 cards)
What does William James say?
Religious exprience
- James accepts that there must be a psychological or physiological explanation for a religous experience.
- He doesn’t bother about the root (cause) but the fruit (effect) the religious has on the person
- mentions Saint Paul from being a persecutor to a great leader
What are William James’ characteristics of religious experience?
Religous experience
- Ineffable- the experience is indescribable.
- Noetic quality- the person experiencing gains a deep and direct knowledge of God.
- Transient- Short experience but the effect is long-term
- sense of passivity- the experiencer has a sense that something is acting upon them, person is just spectating
What is James’ conclusion?
- Pragmatism- If a belief or religious experience helps people it has value and it can be considered true in practical sense.
- Empiricism- if the result/ effect is good this is good enough evidence to verify the religious experience
- Pluralism- James’ research into different faiths found that because there are positive effects on people there must be truth in all faiths.
Mystical experiences?
Direct encounters with the divine (personal and deep connection)
* feel part of something greater
Happold’s conclusions on mysticism?
Happold emphasized that mysticism provides a direct experience of the divine, beyond rational thought or doctrine. He also highlighted its presence across different religious traditions, showing that mystical experiences share common themes regardless of faith.
Numinous experiences?
Awe-inspiring moments that evoke a sense of the divine.
Rudolf Otto on Numinous experience?
religious experience
Rudolf Otto describes numinous experience as a profound encounter with the divine that is both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. He coined the term mysterium tremendum et fascinans, meaning that religious experiences evoke both fear and fascination—a sense of something vastly beyond human understanding yet deeply compelling2. Otto emphasizes that the numinous is wholly other (das ganz Andere), meaning it cannot be fully grasped through rational thought
Conversion experiences
Life-changing events leading to religious commitment.
William James on conversion experiences?
religious experience
William James explored conversion experiences in The Varieties of Religious Experience. He described conversion as a transformation from a divided, unhappy self to a more unified, fulfilled state. He noted that conversion can be sudden or gradual, often triggered by intense emotions or personal crises. James emphasized that the effects of conversion—such as lasting moral and spiritual change—are more important than proving whether the experience is objectively true
Edwin Starbuck on conversion?
religious experience
Edwin Starbuck studied religious conversion from a psychological perspective. He observed that conversion often happens during adolescence, when individuals experience internal struggles and seek deeper meaning. He viewed it as a natural developmental process, rather than purely a religious phenomenon. His research influenced William James, who expanded on the emotional and personal aspects of conversion in The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Swinburne’s principle of credulity?
religious experience
His principle of credulity which states that we should trust our experiences unless we have strong reasons to doubt them. He argues that rejecting religious experiences without evidence is irrational.
Freud on religious experience?
religious experience
He believes that religious experiences are a result of neurosis
Physiological explanation for religious experiences?
Persinger’s God helmet was an experiment conducted which involved sending electrical impulses to the subject’s brain, which invoked reactions and feelings from the subject.
Dawkins refers to religious ideas as being “memes” that have been accepted by our brain to help humans survive.
