Religious Experience Flashcards
(33 cards)
What are the three main classes of vision?
Corporeal, imaginative, and intellectual
What is a corporeal vision? Support with an example
A vision in which something is seen that is not really present, but appears to be physically present to the person having the vision. E.g. St Bernadette’s vision of Mary at Lourdes
What is an imaginative vision? Support with an example
A vision which takes place in the mind, often through dreams. E.g. Joseph’s dream where the Angel Gabriel communicated with him / The Pharaoh’s prophetic dream of cows coming out of the Nile
What is an intellectual vision? Support with an example
A vision which does not involve seeing but a kind of intellectual perception which involves ‘seeing things as they really are’. E.g. St Teresa of Avila’s visions in which she did not see the form of Jesus but understood him to be present
What is the relationship between visions and other forms of religious experience?
Other forms of religious experience often include/overlap with visions, e.g. Moses has a vision but also a numinous experience; St Teresa has an intellectual vision but also a mystical experience
What is the purpose of a vision generally thought to be?
To deliver a message, either from God or someone representing him. This can be direct (e.g. the instructions from Mary to Bernadette) or implicit/metaphorical (e.g. the Pharaoh’s dream, which Joseph has to interpret)
What is a numinous experience?
An apprehension of the wholly other
Who describes numinous experiences, and in what text?
Rudolf Otto (The Idea of the Holy)
What aspect of religion does the numinous connect to?
The non-rational: the part outside of/beyond what can be known through reason
What are the main characteristics of a numinous experience?
Non-rational dread: a sense of dread that goes beyond rational fear
Creature-consciousness: a sense of being profane and creaturelike in the presence of something holy
Awe and wonder: being impressed and speechless by the greatness of God
Mysterium tremendum: the numinous is the apprehension of a tremendous (fearful) mystery
Overpoweringness: a sense of nothingness in contrast to the power of God
How does C.S. Lewis illustrate the concept of numinous dread?
‘The Tiger in the Next Room’: knowledge of a tiger in the next room would create a sense of rational fear about what the creature could DO; knowledge of a spirit in the next room would create a sense of non-rational dread about what the spirit IS
What does Otto say about the expression of the numinous in specific religions?
Christianity - has lots of examples of the numinous e.g. Isaiah’s vision of the temple, Moses and the Burning Bush. Otto sees Christianity as the highest form of religion because it has the perfect balance of rational and non-rational.
Islam - has the greatest emphasis on non-rational; high amount of numinous.
Buddhism - has elements of the numinous, e.g. Buddha statues in caves creating a sense of numinous dread.
What is a mystical experience?
A sense of union/oneness with God/the divine
Who are the two main scholars associated with mystical experience?
William James and Walter Stace
In which text would we find William James’ description of mystical experience?
The Varieties of Religious Experience
How does James define mystical experience?
A feeling of oneness with whatever one considers to be the divine
What, for James, are the four main characteristics of a mystical experience?
Passive (the individual has no control)
Ineffable (the experience can’t be put into words)
Noetic (the experience brings knowledge that could not have been learned without the experience)
Transient (the experience is short-lasting, though its effects may be long-lasting)
What does James say about the role of mystical experience in religion?
They are at the centre of religion - ‘primary religion’ arises out of religious experience and only later regresses into ‘secondary’ (institutional) religion
What does James say we can conclude from mystical experiences?
They point to a higher reality, not necessarily the God of Christianity (James is a pluralist) but something which can be accessed by the human mind
We are under no obligation to accept the religious experiences of others, however individuals have the right to take their own experiences as legitimate
What school of philosophy does William James belong to?
Pragmatism
Why is James described as a ‘Pragmatist’?
He believes that religious experience can be verified through its effects; pragmatists focus on the ‘fruits’ (effects) of beliefs rather than their ‘roots’
In which text would we find Walter Stace’s account of mystical experience?
The Teachings of the Mystics
How does Stace define mystical experience?
Non-sensuous and non-intellectual union with the divine
What does ‘non-sensuous’ and ‘non-intellectual’ mean?
Do not involve the senses and do not involve the intellect
