Ags Rs - A2 Philosophy: Religious Experience

Front 1

What is a religious experience?

Back 1

An experience within a religious context from something beyond the person having the experience.

Front 2

Proportional revelation

Back 2

Direct communication from God,
For Example, Moses and the burning bush.

Front 3

Non-proportional revelation

Back 3

Indirect communication from God
For example, The Bible, truths are realized after a period of reflection.

Front 4

Story of Hosea

Back 4

He married a woman who kept having an affair, she wen off and go pregnant. God told Hosea to take her back Hosea saw himself as God and her as people of Israeli. He took a normal event and saw a deeper meaning within it.

Front 5

Arguments against propositional revelation

Back 5

Contradictions within the bible (God is loving but still kills in the old testament)
Inaccuracies within the bible (Adam and eve)
Differences with other religious texts (the quran)

Front 6

William James -
four characteristics of a religious experience

Back 6

Passivity (beyond control)
Ineffability (Unexplained)
Noetic Quality (learnt experience)
Transiency (short but lasts a lifetime)

Front 7

William James -
Four fruits (results) from an experience

Back 7

1. Awareness of empirical world
2. feeling of elation
3. contact with a benevolent being
4. positive change

Front 8

Rudolph Otto

Back 8

Religious experience is numinous. This means it is beyond the empirical and evokes feelings of awe. An intuitive feeling and is beyond the everyday world.

Front 9

Mystical experiences - Dreams at Bethal

Back 9

Jacob left Beer-Sheba and went towards Haran, he stayed in one place and moved a stone to rest his head. He dreamt of a ladder from heaven and earth and angels descending upon it, lord told Jacob how the land is for him and his offspring. Jacob praised lord.

Front 10

Numinous Experiences - Storm on a bridge

Back 10

The storm destroyed part of the bridge over a river and once it cleared there was a silence and feeling of awe at the power of nature.

Front 11

Conversion Experience - Saul

Back 11

Saul traveled to Damascus, saw a bright light and God made him blind as he was going to arrest some Christians. Days later God gave him his sight back he then changed his name to Paul.

Front 12

Corporate Experiences - Toronto Blessing

Back 12

January 1994, congregation burst into laughter and animal noises thought to be the holy spirit.

Front 13

The principle of Crudelity

Back 13

Richard Swinburne (action)
We should believe what is said unless there is proof it is wrong.

Front 14

The principle of Testimony

Back 14

(person)
Reasonable to believe what someone tells you unless they are an untrustworthy friend.

Front 15

Psychological challenges

Back 15

Following Freud, philosophers state religious experience is a product of psychology. mental hospital patients showed similar obsessive symptoms to those of religious practices.

Front 16

Sociological Challenges

Back 16

Karl Marx was influenced by society and believed religion was a form of alienation from ones true self.

Front 17

Lack of evidence

Back 17

Experiences may lead to noticeable changes in a person life (Paul) but doesn't give insight into nature of the experience.

Front 18

Conflicting claims

Back 18

Ineffable explanations mean we are still trying to explain it. outcomes vary widely, If there is one god there should surely be one end result instead of many?