What did William James believe about religious experiences?
You should not look at the cause of an experience but instead at the effect.
Quote for William James?
‘We can experience union with something larger than ourselves…find our greatest peace’
What four characteristics does James use to identify religious experiences?
Passive
Ineffable
Noetic
Transient
Passive
The person does not instigate the experience.
Ineffable
The experience is impossible to describe.
Noetic
The experience gives knowledge that cannot be understood through the use of reason alone.
Transient
The experience itself does not last long but the effects last a lifetime.
Corporate experience
An experience shared by a group of people.
Personal experience
An individual experience.
Mystical experience
A direct experience of God or ultimate reality, an awareness of something beyond normal.
Conversion experience
An experience that leads to a change from one set of belief to another.
Why did Schleiermacher believe religious experience was so important?
He believed that you could not be religious based on doctrines alone - you had to experience religion to be at the heart of faith.
How does Schleiermacher’s believe differ from the Catholic tradition?
Catholics state that experiences should be tested against the church’s teachings whereas Schleiermacher believes the experiences have priority over statements of belief.
Why did some people criticize Schleiermacher?
He reduces religion to being like an emotion, removing the basis that religion claims are made from facts.
What is Saul’s religious experience?
Saul aimed to prosecute all Christians because of his belief.
A light shone down and Jesus spoke to him, this experience changed his life and he began to spread to word of Jesus.
He became St Paul.
This is an example of a conversion experience.
What does Starbuck mean by adolescent phenomena?
Conversion experiences are simply a natural part of who you are ; psychological rather than divine.
Why does Kant reject religious experiences?
He argues that it is logically impossible to experience God as we are rooted in the phenomenal world.
An example of a corporate experience?
Pentecost - the holy spirit comes down and allows the disciples to feel God.
Toronto blessing - Everyone gathered in a church in Toronto where all could feel the presence of God.
What is Swinburne’s view on religious experiences?
We should believe what people tell us unless there is good reason to doubt.
What is Swinburne’s Principle of Testimony?
Unless someone is not of sound mind, we should believe them.
What is Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity?
Things are probably as they seem, if it seems that way to a person, we should probably believe them.
How does mass hysteria disprove corporate experience?
This shows how easily influenced our minds can be as it is collective, obsessional behavior.
Julian or Norwich’s experience
Mystical experience
During her illness, she had a series of visions of Christ which lasted several hours. She experienced overwhelming love and passions from God.
It emphasized the love and mercy of God.
Why may some people reject Julian or Norwich’s experience?
She experienced these visions while having an illness hence she could have been hallucinating and not of a sound mind.
