Religious Experiences Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is a religious experience?
A religious experience is a supernatural event, which is not always possible to verify scientifically. They are often associated with a special revelation or a greater awareness of God.
What are the main types of religious experience?
The main types of religious experience are Numinous, Conversion, Answered Prayer, Miracles, and Visions.
What is a Numinous experience?
A Numinous experience is when a person feels the presence of God, usually triggered by something they have seen or observed, such as looking up at the stars or seeing a beautiful sunset.
What is a Conversion experience?
A Conversion experience is when something affects a person so deeply that it leads them to change their life and commit themselves to God.
What is Answered Prayer?
Answered Prayer is a way of communicating with God, where Catholics believe that God listens to every prayer and responds to them.
What defines a Miracle?
A Miracle is when something happens that breaks the laws of science, believed to be caused by God’s intervention.
What are Visions in the context of religious experiences?
Visions are when a person sees God or a religious figure, either in a physical form or in a dream, often receiving knowledge or instruction from God.
What are common characteristics of religious experiences?
Common characteristics include a feeling of connecting with God, the passing on of knowledge through the experience, and the inability to fully express the experience in words.
What does the Catholic Church say about religious experience?
The Catholic Church believes that religious experiences occur and recognizes that many great Saints have received them.
What does the Catechism say about religious experience?
The Catechism tells Catholics not to expect new revelation from God through religious experiences because Jesus was the complete and final revelation of God and the faith.
Why does the Church authenticate some religious experiences?
The Church recognizes that religious experiences may allow people to better understand the message of Jesus, which is why some have been authenticated.
What do most religious people believe about religious experience?
Most religious people believe that religious experience is proof for God’s existence.
What is a numinous experience?
A numinous experience is powerful, personal, and often life-changing, leading people to conclude that God must be the cause.
How do miracles relate to the existence of God?
If the laws of nature have been broken (a miracle), science cannot explain it, leading to the conclusion that God must exist.
What did William James say about religious experiences?
William James stated that religious experiences ‘stand at the very heart of religion’ and cannot be dismissed due to their impact on people’s lives.
How does answered prayer relate to belief in God?
If someone prays and their prayer is answered, they may conclude that someone is listening, which they believe must be God.
Why do non-religious people argue that religious experiences do not prove the existence of God?
They argue that if numinous experiences came from God, everyone in the same place and time would have the same experience. However, these experiences seem to occur to individuals for no particular reason, suggesting they relate to personal emotional states rather than the existence of God.
How do non-religious people explain miracles?
They argue that miracles can be explained in other ways, such as witnesses being wrong or medical information being based on prior mistakes by medics.
What did Sigmund Freud say about religious experiences?
Freud said religious experiences were ‘wish fulfilment’ and provide psychological comfort, but this does not mean God exists. He believed this perspective was a childish way to look at the world.
What is the Catholic response to the argument that religious experiences can’t be trusted?
Catholics disagree with this argument, believing there is some truth in most religions, although they hold that Jesus is the full truth. Therefore, it is not surprising that followers of other religions have religious experiences.
How do Catholics view the idea that religious experiences are wish fulfilment?
Catholics dismiss the idea that religious experiences are merely wish fulfilment or about psychological comfort, noting that some experiences can be unpleasant and unwanted.
What did C.S. Lewis say about his conversion experience?
C.S. Lewis wrote about his conversion experience, stating he wasn’t looking for or wanting a belief in God, which challenges the notion that such experiences are about wish fulfilment or comfort.
