Revelation

Revelation

1. General Revelation

   • God making himself known through ordinary, common human experiences
   • Nature, holybooks, prayer

2. Special Revelation

   • God making communication directly to a human
   • visions, dreams, enlightment, miracles
   • problems with special revelaions
     • Special revelations only occur to specific individuals so we can't prove them to be a reality
     • frauds making up revelations for fame and money
     • Wishful thinking- someone might want a special revelation so bad that they start to think/believe that they have had one when they haven't

3. experiencing a revelation can effect a person in several different ways;

   • bringing hope
   • saving a life- through miracle cures
   • life changing guidance
   • conversion to a new religion
   • a feel of unity with God
   • a gain of greater respect for nature

4. types

   • immanent
     • when God is involved in the universe and life on Earth
   • impersonal
     • when god has no human characteristics, is unknowable and mysterious
   • personal
     • the idea that God is an individual or person with what people are able to have a relationship with or feel close to
   • trancendent
     • when God is outside time and space as God is the creator of the universe

5. Alternatives to Revelation

   • Wishful thinking
     • "People just hope to see God"
     • This wishful thinking may cause a person to become mistaken in believeing they saw God
   • Under the influence
     • "People think they saw God when they didn't"
     • This could be due to drugs, drinking, hallucinations, or some kind of illness
   • Frauds
     • "People want to be famous"
     • This could be because they want to be known or have a legacy so they lie
   • Influences
     • "its caused by peoples upbringings"
     • This could be because they were influenced by their parents. To believe something that may not be right but are brought up with it because of their parents