Religious Experiences Flashcards
(38 cards)
Define a Religious experience
- a mental event undergone by an individual’
- Can be spontaneous or brought about as a result of intensive training and self-discipline
- non-empirical occurrence
What are the two types of Religious experience? + e.g.
- Corporate - Shared between groups of people
e.g. Toronto Blessing 1994
–> Many people visited Pentecostal church, underwent religious experience e.g. laughing hysterically, Barking like Dog + speaking in tongues
e.g. Virgin Mary in Bosnia , 1981
–> Virgin Mary appearing + giving messages e.g. “I have come to tell the world God exists” - Individual - experienced by one person
2 examples of Corporate RE
- Toronto Blessing 1994
–> Many people visited Pentecostal church, underwent religious experience e.g. laughing hysterically, Barking like Dog + speaking in tongues - Virgin Mary in Bosnia , 1981
–> Virgin Mary appearing + giving messages e.g. “I have come to tell the world God exists”
Strengths to Corporate RE
- More Numerically valid
–> more people saying same story = more reliable and credible than one individual - Multiple people lessons likelihood was one person imagination or external factor e.g. Drug
Critiques + Scholars for Corporate RE?
- Hank Hanegraaff –> Result of Mass hypnosis
- John White –> Corporate Experiences due to “learned patterns of behaviour”
–> Religious conditioning
Who created the 4 Classification Characteristics for Religious Experiences + what were they?
- William James
- 19th Century
- Ineffable - beyond human description,
- Noetic - new insight +knowledge, Gods revelation,
- Transient - temporary + changes time perception,
4.Passive - Out of your control
Did William James think RE or Religious institutions had primacy
Religious Experiences have primacy over church / Religious traditions.
What were James’ Classification Characteristics for RE?
- Ineffable
–> Direct experience of God goes beyond human powers of description - Noetic
–> Gain knowledge + insight
–> Revelation of God into out minds - Transient
–> do not last a long time
–> Change sense of time / duration - Passive
–> Not in control of experience, something acted upon you
–> could convince yourself you are not the source of experience you willed.
What is the Principle of Credulity?
Swinburne 21st Century
- If an event seems to have happened, it probably has.
- Ought to believe things unless given evidence otherwise - mostly relating to a persons own RE
What is the Principle of Testimony?
- If someone says event has happened it probably has, unless given legitimate reason to doubt them
–> otherwise we become sceptical of everything anyone says, which is not accurate to every day life (i.e. believe someone’s warnings about bad weather - Hume critique)
What are Swinburne’s 2 Principles
- Principle of Credulity - If an event seems to have happened, it probably has - unless given evidence against - own RE
- Principle of Testimony- Someone says event has happened it probably has, unless given legitimate reason to doubt them - 3rd parties RE
Critical 2 Scholar of Swinburne’s principles?
Credulity - Michael Martin - Negative Credulity
- Atheist’s do not experience God, using the Principle of Credulity, this count’s against God existence
–> when experiencing the absence of God should trust that
- Swinburne (Richard) states that his principle only applies to positive experiences (Cannot state that just because you don’t experience something it doesn’t exist )
Testimony - David Hume
- Should be sceptical about testimony unless given a reason to trust it
- when making extraordinary claim requires extra ordinary evidence - (claiming existence of God different to claiming existence of rain)
–> Swinburne (not response) Assessment of prior probability is vital to the argument
- If existence is highly improbable then you are more skeptical e.g. Lock Ness Monster
Swinburne claims God’s existence is more probable than not
What are 3 reasons we can doubt someone’s testimony (Swinburne)
- We can doubt corresponding with Principles of Credulity + Testimony if;
1. Person was mistaken
2. God doesn’t exist
Evident to suggest event was not caused by God e.g. drugs - Disbelief of someone can stem from belief they are mistaken –> brings us back to begining
What is Swinburne’s method of categorising RE
5 types - 2 Public experience categories, 3 Private
- Public Experience
1. Ordinary (interpreting normal event in religious way. e.g. seeing Mary in moon (Glee grilled Chesus)
2. Extraordinary experience (witnessing an unusual event e.g. resurrection of Christ
- Private
3. Describe in normal language - can be explained e.g. Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary
4. Not described in normal language e.g. Mysticism, unable to describe, ineffable
5. Ongoing, no specific experience e.g. sense of God guiding one’s life
What is the Cumulative Case + What Arguments are used?
Basil Mitchell
- Accumulation of Multiple Argument’s for God means existence is more likely
3 Arguments
- Cosmological (universe needs creator), Design (design means creator), Moral (morality requires source)
Which Scholar critiques Cumulative Case + why?
Antony Flew
- ‘ten leaky buckets’ analogy
Claimed 10 flawed arguments do not make one good one
What Oxford data backs up RE?
Oxford Religious Experience Research Unit
- 40% of British population say aware of a presence beyond themselves
Mystical experience definition? (what it includes)
When people feel they have reached an understanding of spiritual truth which cannot be accessed through ‘normal’ senses
Encompasses;
- Events people see visions or hear voices,
- Moments people feel overwhelming presence of God,
- Times people feel they have encountered or united with God.
4 Examples of Christian Mysticism / RE
St. Bernadette , Julian of Norwich, St. Teresa, Saul’s Conversion
St Bernadette
- Went to grotto to collect water, saw + spoke to Mary Mother of God
- Has become pilgrimage for healing - collection of walking stick were people went with ailments + left without
- Popular with Roman Catholics (vicious circle)
Julian of Norwich
- 14th Century
- Series of 16 visions whilst on deathbed
- Claimed saw Jesus on cross at end of deathbed
Critiques –> Vicious cycle - was Catholic. Physiological Challenges - seriously ill, scientifically proven people have hallucinations before death
St. Teresa
- Claimed God pierced her heart with his dart.
Internal –> I experienced God piercing my heart
External –> God pierced by heart
Gap between appearance and reality (internal happening doesn’t mean external did)
Saul’s Conversion
- Devout Jew,, on road to Damascus to persecute followers of Christ, was blinded on road
–> taken to Jesus and given his eyesight back
What did Rudolf Otto say about Religious Experiences?
All RE are ‘Numinous’ experiences
–> Individuals gain new / deeper understanding of reality, have touched a different dimension
What are the 4 Main challenges to Religious Experiences
- Vicious Circle Challenge - RE dependent on prior knowledge
- Conflicting Claims Challenge - RE can support all religions, meaning equally truthful (none truthful)
- Psychological Challenge - Psychological factors e.g. epilepsy or deathbed
- Anti-Realist Challenge - No direct experiences, Vardy - privilege few experience RE, Lash - God in Everday
Explain the Vicious Circle Challenge to RE?
- Religious experience depends on prior assumptions/ knowledge of those involved
e.g. Catholics more likely to experience Mary (St. Bernadette)
–> More likely generated by existing faith commitments –> Change people’s focus / interoperation
Explain the Conflicting Claims Challenge to RE?
- If Christian RE underwrites Christianity, then Islamic RE should underwrite Islam etc.
- If one religion relies of RE to prove its truth then each religion can claim the same
–> implies each religion is equally true - Hume “complete triumph for the sceptic’
Explain the Psychological Challenge the RE?
RE can be explained by psychological factors
–> e.g. Saul on road to Damascus could be due to epileptic fit
–> e.g. Julian of Norwich had visions on death bed, seriously ill people proven to have hallucinations
