theme 3 - religious experience

Question 1

Define religious experience

Answer 1

• Some form of encounter with God.
• Includes visions, conversions, mysticisms and prayer.

Question 2

Define visions + state its 3 categories

Answer 2

• A person sees/hears something that they believe is supernational.
• Visions are divided into 3 categories – sensory, dreams and intellectual.

Question 3

Define sensory visions

Answer 3

• When a person is awake, gains new knowledge + corporeal (physical in nature).
• They can also be individual (experienced by one person) or group-based (experienced by more than one person).
• Example (individual) = Bernadette had several visions of an angel, at Lourdes, indicating the healing nature of local spring waters.
• Example (group-based) = In Luke 2, a group of shepherds had a group vision of an angel proclaiming Jesus’ birth.

Question 4

Define dream-based visions

Answer 4

• A vision in a dream, which can be individual or group-based + may bring new knowledge.
• Example (individual) = In Matthew 1, Joseph had a dream-based vision, confirming the nature of Mary’s pregnancy.
• Example (group-based) = In Matthew 2, the ‘three wise men’ were warned in a dream not to tell King Herod Jesus’ whereabouts.

Question 5

Define intellectual visions

Answer 5

• Gives individual important theological insights or understandings.
• Example = (all of the above) and in Acts 10 of the Bible, Peter had a dream-based vision of large animals descending down from heaven, giving him the understanding that Jesus’ message was for all people of the Earth, not just Jews.

Question 6

Define conversion + state its 4 categories

Answer 6

• Process of change in the way a person may perceive the spiritual aspect of human existence.
• Includes individual, communal, gradual and sudden conversions.

Question 7

Define individual conversion

Answer 7

• Example = Saul, a prosecutor of Christians, is on the road to Damascus when he is struck blind by a light from heaven, hears the voice of Jesus + as a result, Saul converted to Christianity.

Question 8

Define communal conversion

Answer 8

• Example = disciples from many different nations are filled with the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost + they can all suddenly understand each other’s languages. Peter, then delivers a sermon, where people are converted to Christianity.

Question 9

Define gradual/sudden conversion

Answer 9

• Gradual Conversion =
• Takes place over a long period of time.
• Sudden Conversion =
• Takes place suddenly.

Question 10

State 5 types of conversion

Answer 10

Atheist to Faith, Faith to Faith, Deepening of a Faith, Intellectual Conversation + Moral Conversion.

Question 11

Define 5 types of conversion

Answer 11

• Atheist to Faith = no religious belief to faith. Example = C.S Lewis moved from an atheist to a Christian + write books on the Christian faith.
• Faith to Faith = from one faith to another. Example = Saul converting from Judaism to Christianity.
• Deepening of a Faith = a deepening of someone’s faith. Example = growing older may convert a person to develop their ‘own’ deeper faith in the religion they own for themselves.
• Intellectual Conversation = may convert due to intellectual study of theology. Example = studying a religious text and concluding that it is right.
• Moral Conversion = may convert due to a challenge to their moral life. Example = may become dissatisfied with the moral life and seek out faith (former LA gangster Tommy Scott)

Question 12

Who outlined key features of a religious conversion?

Answer 12

• William James

Question 13

Define 4 features of a conversion

Answer 13

• Passive/Active = passive means the conversion experience comes upon the recipient unexpectedly and active means the recipient is specifically seeking out a spiritual experience.
• Transforming = conversion experiences can completely transform the recipient’s life.
• Slow/Fast = conversion experience can either be slow or fast.
• Involuntary = conversion may involve the recipient battling against it, until they finally ‘give in’ to the conversion.

Question 14

Define mysticism

Answer 14

• The feeling of complete union with God.

Question 15

Who argued there were 5 common features that run through many mystical experiences?

Answer 15

• W.R Miller

Question 16

Define 5 common features of a mystical experience

Answer 16

1. Transcendent – recipient has no concept of time or space.
2. Unitive – unifying our spiritual soul with God.
3. Noetic – conveys a deep religious truth to the recipient.
4. Ineffable – not easily explained through language.
5. Ecstatic – recipient is filled with joy and peace.

Question 17

Define 3 types of mystical experiences

Answer 17

1. Ecstatic – Teresa of Avila stated the mystical experience was “accompanied with exceeding joy and sweetness.” The ‘Toronto Blessing’ is an evangelical Christian religious service that actively encourages all members of the congregation to achieve an ecstatic mystical state.
2. Transcendent – Sufism tries to develop a transcendent mystical union with Allah, through meditation, dance and poetry. Rumi believed that humanity’s purpose was to achieve oneness with God + he developed a ritual called ‘Sema’ (a dance), poetry and music.
3. Unitive – Lukoff defined a unitive mystical experience a “extraordinary experience marked by feelings of being in unity, harmonious relationship to the divine. Suso also described his own native mystical experience as a person who “becomes one spirit with God.”

Question 18

Define prayer

Answer 18

• The activity of speaking to God.
• Teresa of Avila (a saint) developed her prayer life and wrote about it in her book, ‘The Interior Castle’, in which she presents two analogies – the Garden Analogy and the Castle/Mansions Analogy.

Question 19

State the Garden Analogy

Answer 19

• Teresa uses the garden analogy to prove the existence of God + to achieve union with God – she suggest prayer is like a garden.

Question 20

State the levels of the Garden Analogy

Answer 20

1. First water (mental prayer)
2. Drawing water (prayer of quiet)
3. Irrigated garden (imperfect union) – turning on a tap.
4. Rain (perfect union) – God comes to you.

Question 21

State the Castle Analogy

Answer 21

• Teresa considers the human soul to be like a castle that contains many rooms – a true union with God can only be achieved by working your way through the various mansions.
• These different mansions became known as the stages/levels of prayers.
• Teresa states all levels of prayers needed intense concentration + discipline.

Question 22

State the levels of the Castle Analogy

Answer 22

1. Prayer of Quiet (fourth mansion) –where the human will is completely captivated by God’s love. The individual experiences intense peace and spiritual fulfilment.
2. Prayer of simple union (fifth mansion) – God places himself in the interior of a person’s soul.
3. Spiritual marriage (sixth mansion) – the person will want to spend every moment alone with God, feel spiritual ecstasy + the powerful love for God.
4. Mystical marriage (seven, final mansion) – highest state of prayer that is achievable by human, where a person is in complete unio with God + an intimate awareness is intuitively felt.