Visions Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is a religious experience?
A religious experience is a direct, personal encounter with the divine or a sense of the presence of a higher reality, often described as beyond ordinary perception or understanding
What is meant by the nature of religious experiences and what are the 3 different types?
-The nature of religious experiences refers to the different forms or types these encounters with the divine can take
-the three forms are:
1) Visions
2) Numinous experiences
3) Mystical experiences
What is a vision?
A vision is a type of religious experience in which a person sees or hears something supernatural, often believed to be a message from God or a divine being
What are the different types of visions?
Visions can be:
-corporeal (seen through the physical senses)
-imaginative (seen in the mind, often during sleep or prayer)
-intellectual (a sudden inner awareness or understanding, not involving physical sight)
What are corporeal visions?
-One type of religious experience is a corporeal vision, where a person experiences a supernatural being or object through the physical sense of sight or hearing
-This means the vision is experienced as if it were really present, with light striking the retina just like it would with any ordinary object, making it an empirical experience that they can interact with
What is an example of a corporeal vision?
-A well-known example is St Bernadette, who had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France
-She described one by saying, “She looked at me as one person looks at another,” showing that she saw the figure clearly and bodily, just like any physical person
Why was St Bernadette’s vision important?
-The vision was not only visual but also auditory and meaningful, as Mary spoke in Bernadette’s local dialect and asked her to wash in a spring
-That spring later became the source of many reported healings and is now part of a major international pilgrimage site, with 69 miracles officially recognised by the Church
-This suggests that corporeal visions are not just private spiritual moments but can have wider social and religious significance
-Overall, they are seen as empirical and verifiable through both their sensory nature and long-term impact.
What is an imaginative vision?
-One type of religious experience is an imaginative vision, where a person ‘sees’ something through the eye of the mind rather than with their physical senses
-These visions often occur in dreams and are believed to be sent by God, with the experiencer having no control over what is revealed
What is an example of an imaginative vision?
-A clear example is found in Genesis, where Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows being eaten by seven thin ones, followed by a similar image involving ears of grain
-These dreams, though not physically seen, carried deep symbolic meaning
-Joseph interprets them as a divine warning of seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine
Pharaoh introduces his vision by saying, “I saw in my dream,” which highlights the personal and imaginative nature of the experience
-This demonstrates how imaginative visions, though internal, can have spiritual significance and real-world consequences, supporting their value as genuine religious experiences.
What is an example of an intellectual vision?
-One type of religious experience is an intellectual vision, where a person gains a direct awareness or knowledge of God’s presence without seeing any image or form
-These visions are internal and mystical, often described as difficult to explain because they involve knowing rather than seeing.
What is an example of an intellectual vision?
-A key example is St Teresa of Ávila, who described her experience by saying she “saw nothing with the eyes of the body, nothing with the eyes of the soul… but felt Him”
-Although she saw no physical image, she had a powerful and certain sense that Christ was beside her
-The impact was emotional and spiritual she wept, felt comforted, and described a lasting awareness of God’s nearness
-This shows that intellectual visions bring a deep, personal revelation of divine truth, rather than a visual encounter
-Though they are non sensory, their lasting spiritual effects and clarity of insight support their value as genuine and transformative religious experiences.
