Teresa of Avila
In The life of Teresa of Jesus, the author attempts to assert the conclusion that God exists. She does this by first presenting several detailed experiences of God. It is then implied that she is a reliable authority and as such she should be believed. Then that because these experiences of God came from a reliable authority, they are proof of God, therefore God exists. I do not agree with this argument
After nearly two years of adamant prayer, Saint Teresa has an unusual experience in which she was “conscious” of Jesus Christ (Teresa, 249). She explains this experience to her confessor who initially does not believe her. Teresa proceeds to have several other experiences where in the “Godhead” speaks to her, presents His hands, …show more content…
I bring the example of Plato’s allegory of the Cave, in which the men chained to the wall of the cave trust that the shadows shown to them are real (Plato, 514 A). From this argument we already know that these shadows are not at all the real or true “forms”, in fact they are mere imitations, and poor ones at that. According to Plato, we must look beyond our senses and experiences to find the truth. Teresa of Avila’s argument is essentially built on the assumption that we can trust our senses, when in really trusting our senses is detrimental to true understanding, especially that of a higher being. An additional flaw to support this objection includes the fact that she died not too soon after these events. Teresa of Avila died of tuberculosis, this disease causes fever and fatigue, both of these symptoms have been known to be precursors of hallucination (Mayo Clinic). Such information suggests that Teresa’s senses were skewed. This brings me to my second objection, whether Teresa was a reliable is a reliable source. Considering her illness, and its side effects, Teresa could not have been a reliable source, due to her impairment of the senses. In addition she is could also be biased, as a follower of the Christian faith she will want her experiences to be real and the fact that she consulted a colleague does not dispute this fact. Since her colleague was also a member of the faith, he
In The life of Teresa of Jesus, the author attempts to assert the conclusion that God exists. She does this by first presenting several detailed experiences of God. It is then implied that she is a reliable authority and as such she should be believed. Then that because these experiences of God came from a reliable authority, they are proof of God, therefore God exists. I do not agree with this argument
After nearly two years of adamant prayer, Saint Teresa has an unusual experience in which she was “conscious” of Jesus Christ (Teresa, 249). She explains this experience to her confessor who initially does not believe her. Teresa proceeds to have several other experiences where in the “Godhead” speaks to her, presents His hands, …show more content…
I bring the example of Plato’s allegory of the Cave, in which the men chained to the wall of the cave trust that the shadows shown to them are real (Plato, 514 A). From this argument we already know that these shadows are not at all the real or true “forms”, in fact they are mere imitations, and poor ones at that. According to Plato, we must look beyond our senses and experiences to find the truth. Teresa of Avila’s argument is essentially built on the assumption that we can trust our senses, when in really trusting our senses is detrimental to true understanding, especially that of a higher being. An additional flaw to support this objection includes the fact that she died not too soon after these events. Teresa of Avila died of tuberculosis, this disease causes fever and fatigue, both of these symptoms have been known to be precursors of hallucination (Mayo Clinic). Such information suggests that Teresa’s senses were skewed. This brings me to my second objection, whether Teresa was a reliable is a reliable source. Considering her illness, and its side effects, Teresa could not have been a reliable source, due to her impairment of the senses. In addition she is could also be biased, as a follower of the Christian faith she will want her experiences to be real and the fact that she consulted a colleague does not dispute this fact. Since her colleague was also a member of the faith, he