Religious Experience

1. Corporeal

   Annotations:

   • Omnipotent Immanent Everlasting Simple Benevolent
   1. Supernatural sighting of an object
      1. According to the Catholic Church it can be understood in 2 ways
         1. Seeing the actual person
         2. Seeing a bright light
2. Intellectual

   Annotations:

   • Omnipotent Benevolent SimpleCould show that he is transcendent but also everlasting
   1. A vision without any object or image
   2. Becomes supernatural when they realise the intervention of God
      1. They can realise this intervention by
         1. Feeling loved by God
         2. Overwhelming peace of mind
         3. Deeper belief in God
   3. Takes place in the pure understanding
      1. The person doesn't have to figure out what it means as it gives immediate understanding
3. Imaginative

   Annotations:

   • Omnipotent Transcendent Everlasting Benevolent
   1. Representation of an object by the act of imagination alone or within the mind of a person
   2. The sign that they come from God is that a person cannot define or fix the elements of the vision
   3. Usually very short as the person cant endure any more or they give way to intellectual visions
   4. Usually take place during sleep as the mind is less divided by thoughts
   5. Is imaginative if the image persists with closed eyes or if there are no traces of the external effects
4. A form of revelatory religious experience that acts as a source of knowledge about God
5. Occurs when an individual believes that they have seen or heard something divine

Annotations:

• Omnipotent Immanent Everlasting Omnibenevolent (Cures etc) but it could be argued He isn't omnibenevolent as He only cures a select few

1. The definition of a miracle isn't clear cut as the term is so widely used that the true meaning is often clouded by people's own interpretations and experiences
2. David Hume
   1. Scottish empiricist who is regarded as one of the most damming critiques of miracles
   2. His definition is one of the most widely used
      1. "A transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the deity or by the interposition of some invisible agent"
         1. In other words, God or some other supernatural being would break a law of nature that humans regard as unbreakable

Annotations:

• Omnipotent Transcendent Simple Creator

1. The sense of 'awe and wonder' a person may feel when they experience the presence of God in a certain place or building
2. Usually describes the feeling that God is very different from us
   1. They realise that He is very powerful and awesome
3. Rudolph Otto
   1. He says the numinous can't be strictly defined since the numinous is that in which all religious experiences are defined
   2. Can only be evoked or awakened in the mind
   3. Outlined feelings associated with the numinous
      1. Creeping flesh
      2. The fear of ghosts
      3. The sense of something that is uncanny, weird, or eerie
   4. Mysterium tremendum
      1. Magnificent mystery
         1. The mystery is the 'Wholly Other' which is beyond apprehension and comprehension.

1. The experience of oneness or union with the divine
2. William James
   1. Four charachteristics
      1. Ineffability
         1. Goes beyond the human powers of description
            1. They feel like they can't do it justice
      2. Noetic
         1. Receives knowledge of the divine which isn't otherwise availiable
            1. Direct revelation from God
      3. Transcient
         1. Aren't permanent, may appear to be a long time but isn't
            1. Effects are long lasting and include a changed view of the universe
      4. Passive
         1. The person was not in control of what happened to them
            1. It just happens and is from God

1. Someone's life takes a dramatic spiritual turn
   1. Could be from one religion to another, atheism to theism, theism to atheism or agnosticism etc
2. Two forms
   1. Volitional
      1. A person decides that they want to make spiritual changes
         1. Eg if a person wanted to become Catholic they may get baptised and then go on to receive other sacrememnts
            1. After this journey they may have a profound experience where their belief suddenly makes sense and they feel a deep sense of spiritual connection with God
   2. Self-surrender
      1. Less common
      2. The sudden conversion usually produces the more significant and profound effects
      3. More likely to be a result of a religious experience as they often affect those with no previous religious faith
3. Can be classified into 3 specific changes
   1. Intellectual
      1. Change in thinking
   2. Moral
      1. Change in behaviour
   3. Social
      1. Change in way of life