Empiricism – theory that all knowledge is learned through experienced this is done
through our senses
Religious experience: having awareness of the divine
- can mean anything from saying a prayer to having a vision.
- Is a non-empirical occurrence/ may be seen as supernatural
- Can be spontaneous or from intensive training
- Closer to God and unique to the individual
- Genuine religious experiences are encouraging
Genuine – hasn't been made up from the individual and has come from God
For religious experiences Against religious experiences
Lots of people have them People could be lying
God would want to communicate to Why do only select people have
us them
God does it to guide humanity Why would God interfere with us
, WILLIAM JAMES
- “The Varieties of Religious experience’ = contained many accounts of people's
religious experiences
- He didn't want to prove or disprove any experiences he wanted to give his findings
and let people decide their opinions from that.
- Religious experience could be tested to see if they are true by seeing – BY THE
EFFECT/ CHANGE IN THE PERSON WHO HAS HAD THE EXPERIENCE. As these
people were more fulfilled than atheists
- ‘They are as convincing to those who have had them as any direct sensible
experience can be’
4 characteristics of religious experiences (according to William James)
1. Ineffability – can't be communicated in normal speech and people who
experience them often can't understand
2. Noetic Quality – the mind gets knowledge, although they are ineffable, they
provide insight into truth, not through intellect but through intuition
3. Transiency – they only last a short amount of time, but effects are lifechanging
4. Passivity – the person is in the grip of a higher power; they lose themselves to
God
BUT –
this demonstrates that the believer is sincere, it doesn't prove the experience reveals
God. The sincere belief might be mistaken
through our senses
Religious experience: having awareness of the divine
- can mean anything from saying a prayer to having a vision.
- Is a non-empirical occurrence/ may be seen as supernatural
- Can be spontaneous or from intensive training
- Closer to God and unique to the individual
- Genuine religious experiences are encouraging
Genuine – hasn't been made up from the individual and has come from God
For religious experiences Against religious experiences
Lots of people have them People could be lying
God would want to communicate to Why do only select people have
us them
God does it to guide humanity Why would God interfere with us
, WILLIAM JAMES
- “The Varieties of Religious experience’ = contained many accounts of people's
religious experiences
- He didn't want to prove or disprove any experiences he wanted to give his findings
and let people decide their opinions from that.
- Religious experience could be tested to see if they are true by seeing – BY THE
EFFECT/ CHANGE IN THE PERSON WHO HAS HAD THE EXPERIENCE. As these
people were more fulfilled than atheists
- ‘They are as convincing to those who have had them as any direct sensible
experience can be’
4 characteristics of religious experiences (according to William James)
1. Ineffability – can't be communicated in normal speech and people who
experience them often can't understand
2. Noetic Quality – the mind gets knowledge, although they are ineffable, they
provide insight into truth, not through intellect but through intuition
3. Transiency – they only last a short amount of time, but effects are lifechanging
4. Passivity – the person is in the grip of a higher power; they lose themselves to
God
BUT –
this demonstrates that the believer is sincere, it doesn't prove the experience reveals
God. The sincere belief might be mistaken
