Visions and Voices

Visions and Voices

1. We live in a world of sights and sounds; observe and hear things around us

   • St Teresa and Avila offered two tests to determine whether an experience was genuine
     • Does it fit in with Christian teaching
     • Does the experience leave the individual with peace
     • Some thinkers have raised the issue of how we might prove if the experience is genuine
       • Physical problems/mental illness gives false perceptions

2. Visions

   • Muhammed's vision;
     • Vision gave Muhammed a purpose and a calling
     • 'Proclaim! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher'
   • St Teresa's vision;
     • Inner Vision; as described by St Teresa of Avila
     • 'I saw Christ at my side'
   • Some thinkers refer to these as intellectual visions
     • These are not the same as seeing an external object with the eyes;
       • Instead, a clear vision in the mind's eyes
         • Some argue that they are too profound to be confused with the imagination

3. Voices

   • One dramatic type of religious experience
   • They carry authority; profound effects; need not be audible
     • However, sometimes referred to as the voice of the 'Holy Spirit'
   • Augustine's experience;
     • 'I heard the voice of a 'sing-song' child'
     • Interpretations of God's communication