Unit 2

Question 1

Defintion of religious experience

Answer 1

An experience of some ultimate reality - an all powerful, ineffable being would exist

Question 2

Direct experience

Answer 2

Contact with god/ an ultimate reality e.g. Saul to Paul

Question 3

Indirect experience

Answer 3

Internal sense of something other than this world e.g. st Theresa of Avila

Question 4

Types of RE

Answer 4

Corporate
Prayer
Conversion
Meditation
Voices
Visions
Numinous

Question 5

Propositional revelation

Answer 5

Reveals a truth about god e.g. isaiah in the OT receiving direct truth from god

Question 6

Non propositional revelation

Answer 6

Does not necessarily entail facts being revealed, but rather god making himself known e.g. the Buddha, who meditated and reached enlightenment

Question 7

John hick on propositional vs. Non-propositional revelation

Answer 7

Christianity best understood by non-propositional revelation- believed individuals experiencing the world were also experiencing the religious

Question 8

William james

Answer 8

Features of mystical experience:
Passivity: a RE as being sourced from outside the individual and having an impact on them
Ineffability: the nature of the RE which is beyond human words
Noetic quality: being beyond the knowledge of normality
Transiency: short-lived nature of a RE

Question 9

Rudolph Otto

Answer 9

Mysterium: mystery of RE
Tremendum: sense of awe at RE’s
Fascians: fascination with the divine

Question 10

Peter vardy

Answer 10

• argues people’s presuppositions regarding religion will affect how they interpret events
• if they believe in god, they are more likely to accept an experience as being religious
• raises the issue of whether they’re subjective or objective

Question 11

Alternative explanations for RE’s

Answer 11

• might arise from social factors e.g. group hysteria, societal upbringing
• FREUD: a psychological explanation - religion as neurosis -> form of mental illness or derangement - HALLUCINATIONS

Question 12

Dawkins

Answer 12

‘Symtoms’ of RE and psychosis are incredibly similar, this must be an explanation for the phenomenon those experiencing a RE are instead suffering from a form of psychosis

Question 13

Micheal persinger

Answer 13

• RE is a phenomenon within the body
• from within the TEMPORAL LOBE
  -supernatural experiences are perceived to be from god, but can in fact be explained by the brain
  (God helmet)

Question 14

Swinburne

Answer 14

• principle of credulity: we should believe things are as they appear to be
• principle of testimony: unless there is evidence otherwise we should believe the testimonies of individuals

Question 15

Vardys response to Swinburne testimonies

Answer 15

• we need to question testimony and credulity, RE. Have a low probability of being true
• encourages a sceptical approach
• peoples views affected by presuppositions

Question 16

Cumulative argument (proof)

Answer 16

• probability vs. Proof debate
• weight of testimony is in theists favour
• number of people who claim to have had a RE has accumulated to such an extent it is HIGHLY PROBABLE RE’s are real as not that many people could be lying
• increases in quantity or force by successive additions

Question 17

Inductive reasoning (as proof)

Answer 17

P1: experience of X indicates that X exists
P2: god can be experienced
P3: experience of god indicates that god exists
C: god exists

Question 18

Brian Davies on inductive reasoning

Answer 18

• rejects the inductive argument
  1. Experiences can be deceptive
  2. Psychological pressures can influence experience and interpretation
  3. No way of verifying the truth
  4. Account of RE’s vary hugely
  (All can be countered)