Challenges to Religious Experiences

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Religious Experience Flashcards on Challenges to Religious Experiences , created by Zoe Bone on 28/11/2016.
Zoe Bone
Flashcards by Zoe Bone, updated more than 1 year ago
Zoe Bone
Created by Zoe Bone over 7 years ago
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Question Answer
What are the three forms of challenge? - physiological - psychological - sociological
What is the general physiological challenge? suggests that religious experiences have a physiological cause i.e. they are the product of physical changes in the body
What example can we use to support the physiological challenge? Did St.Paul have epilepsy? This could explain his experience of bright light
What can cause hallucinations and delusions? damage to the brain
What can be said against the physiological challenge? there is no evidence that every person who has a religious experience suffers from illnesses that cause hallucinations
what is the general psychological challenge? following the work of Sigmund Freud many commentators have suggested that religious experiences are a product of human psychology
If the psychological challenge were true, what would that mean for religious experiences? that they can be explained logically and not be reliant on the existence of a supernatural being
What did William James say in reference to the psychological challenge? despite that religious experiences can be linked to the subconscious this does not disprove the existence of God, he can move in natural ways
What is the problem with Freud's approach? the link between he conscious and unconscious mind is not clear and we know little about it
What faith can the psychological challenge not say much to rebuttal? buddhism, because they do not have a father figure
what is animism? the belief that spirits can be controlled by certain rituals and actions, a belief where the disorderly nature of the world can be explained by actions of spirits
What link does freud make between religion and animism? he says that God is used as the explanation for why things are in the world, and religious practices are like the magic in animism, a way of understanding the world
What does Freud call religion? an obsessional neurosis
What is the general sociological challenge? the origins of religion and religious experiences are to be found in society. Thus, REs reflect the society in which you live, e.g. catholics are likely to see Mary or Jesus
Who particularly supports the sociological challenge? Karl Marx
Who influenced Marx, who were these people? Hegelians, they suggested religion was a form of alienation from one's true self
What did Marx call religion? The opium of the people
What did Marx believe religion does? Oppresses people and controls them, stopping them from being truly human and making their own decisions.
What does Marx believe about heaven and hell? it is a way of controlling people and giving them comfort
What kind of people does Marx refer religious people to? Drug addicts, like addicts, religious people would be better off without religion, as they would without drugs
What shaped Marx's opinion of religion? Once current economic realities e.g. in his time the majority of the UK were in poverty whilst a minority were wealthy
What did Marx blame for the economic inequality? Capitalism, and the Church supported the status quo (capitalism)
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