Flashcards
Religious Experiences - corporate/numinous/conversion
Cards in this deck (19)
- 1What is a corporate religious experience?When entire groups of people seemingly undergo a similar experience at the same time
- 2Example: Toronto blessings1994 a phenomenon was reported to have occurred at Toronto airport church during a sermon where there was said to be an outpouring of the holy spirit. Includes laughing, dancing and barking like dogs.
- 3Example: Miracle of the sun1917.
around 70 000 people saw her. 'Lady of the Rosary' predicted end of WW1 and went into the sky. A silvery disc was then seen in the sky. Some claimed they say the sun dance around the heavens, some saw the sun zig zag closer to earth, some saw psychedelic colours and some saw nothing at all. - 4Negatives of corporate experiences1. Mass hysteria?
2. Does each individuals experience need to be investigated?
3. Does the public nature of events provide verification that private experiences don't have?
4. Are these experiences consistent with the nature of God. - 5What is a conversion experience?An experience which makes you change either from atheism to theism or from one religion to another. This can be a sudden change or go through many changes
- 6What did Edwin Starbuck add to conversion experience?He did a study on conversion and drew parallels with the normal process of finding our identity in adolescence (most conversions occur between 15-24)
- 7What did Starbuck note about adolescents?Non-religious adolescents appear to go through similar stages of anxiety and depression before finding a sense of identity
- 8Freud on conversion?Freud regarded God as an illusion and deries from a need for a father figure. Religion helps restrain from violent impulses in the development of civilisation.
- 9What is a numinous experience?Refers to a sense of being in the prescence of something greater than you but feeling distinct from it
Rudolf Otto in 'Idea of the Holy' - 10How did Rudolf Otto use the term numinous experience?To refer to being in the presence of an awesome power, which is entirely separate from mankind
- 11Quote from: Rudolf Ottonuminous experiences are
'wholly other. It makes us aware that we are creatures of an almighty' - 12How does Otto say we will recognise the divine?Mysterium - can be felt but not able to be described by normal language.
tremendum - such experience is fearsome and fascinating. Can bring a sense of dread for some as we are in prescence of an overwhelming being
fascinans - fascinating in spike of fear. - 13What occurs after the experience?people interact with the world through this experience and the beliefs attached to it e.g. you may begin to see more evidence of an overwhelming power in nature.
- 14Why do some Christians oppose numinous experiences?Some schristians oppose the notion that God is something 'other' and totally separate from humans - against biblical view.
- 15What does Schleiermacher say about numinous experiences?Agreed with Otto that religious experiences are emotional but said that they brought a sense of oneness or dependancy on the divine not a sense of 'otherness'
- 16What did Starbuck say conversion experiences can be?1) Conscious and volitional (you choose to change)
2) Involuntary (something happens which causes an immediate change). - 17Quote from: Richard SwinburneAn omnipotent and perfectly good creator will see to interact with his creation
- 18What is Flew's 10 leaky buckets example?Arguments for God are flawed.
It is like putting holes in a bucket. It is pointless to try and fill a bucket with holes in. - 19What did Otto say about Religious experiences?All religious experiences are essentially numinous
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- a2 Religious Studies (Philosophy) Flashcards on Religious Experiences - corporate/numinous/conversion, created by Ella Foster on 17/02/2017.
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