Caroline Franks Davis

Question 1

What is franks davis book called

Answer 1

The eviddential force of religious experience-1989

Question 2

What are her 3 challenges to religious experience

Answer 2

Descriptive related challenges
Subject related challenges
Object related challenges

Question 3

What is a descriptive related challenge and give examples`

Answer 3

The description of the religious experience appears to be self-contradictory, implausible or inconsistent
e.g. Teresa of Avila claims she “saw” christ by her side, but later recants and says she “experienced him”

Or relativisitc/pluralist experiences e.g. god is revealed in terms of the recipients own cultural background/desires -why?

Yorkshire ripper said god told him to murder-a loving god would nto do this-so we reject the claim

Question 4

What is the argument against descriptive related challenges

Answer 4

William james-ineffability is a key point-they do not have to make sense

Many people say we cannot fully understand God-so why should we be able to interpret his visions

Issues with language

Question 5

Whata are the three main challenges to a description of religious experience

Answer 5

No proof-meaningless-positivism
Inconsistent or contradictory
The recipient has misunderstood a mundane or innocuous experience

Question 6

What is a subject related challenge and give examples

Answer 6

They focus on the reliability of the person who experienced the phenomena

e.g.The person is unreliable, on drugs, has not had proper training or experience, or are incentivised to lie-book deals etc

Davey falcus was a drug dealer and gangster who had visions thatt converted him to christianity-may have just been the drugs

Question 7

What are the objections to subject related challenges

Answer 7

Ad hominem
The person can be educated and sophisticated, and still receive the experience
Swinburnes principles of credulity and testimony

Question 8

What are object related challenges and give examples

Answer 8

The fact that the likelihood of what is being described actually occuring is extremely low
E.g. why should we believe that x was god when we have never seen him etc etc

Question 9

What are the counterarguments to object related challenges

Answer 9

Swinburne cumulative argument-One religious experience isnt convincing but multiple may be

If we rejected anything that didnt line up with our prior knowledge we would never learn anything

Swinburne-the laws of nature are corrigible-we have to at least consider new evidence