Summary Edexcel AS/A Level Religious Studies Philosophy - Unit 2 The Nature and Influence of Religious Experience

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
 Religious experience is part of religious life. Theists believe that  Psy
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 
God interacts with them personally, that he intervenes in his
creation. ARGUMENT FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 
 A religious experience is an encounter with the divine which P1 There are compelling reasons for believing that claims of
brings an awareness of something other than oneself. religious experience point to spiritual realities that exist beyond
 For theists, this experience reinforces their belief in the evidence our physical understanding. 
P2 According to physicalists, nothing can exists beyond our
of God and acts as proof of God’s existence.
physical understanding.  Phy
P3 According to classical theism, God gives humans the ability to 
TYPES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE perceive religious and spiritual realities through religious or
 Mystical Experiences spiritual experience.
 Experiences of an inner or deeper self, or of oneness with C. Therefore, to the extent that P1 is accepted, theism is more
nature. plausible than physicalism.

 For James, they are the primary experience of humanity and
have four core components: Passive, Ineffable, Noetic, SWINBURNE’S FIVE-PART CLASSIFICATION & THE
Transitory. PRINCIPLES OF CREDULITY AND TESTIMONY
 James argued that they are true to the extent that help us 1. Experiences of God mediated through a common ‘public’ sensory  The
object, e.g. a sunset or ocean. 
individually improve and make sense of our lives in the world.
2. Experiences of God mediated through an uncommon ‘public’ sensory
 Conversion Experiences object. E.g. Moses and the Burning Bush.  Kan
 A direct experience that inspire awe and wonder in the 3. Experiences of God mediated through a private object that can be 
presence of God. described empirically. E.g. Peter sees a vision of a cloth filled with non-
 Otto explained that numinous experience has two elements: kosher animals which conveyed that all foods are cleans and may be eaten.
the mysterium tremendum (a fearful mystery) and the 4. Experience of God mediated through a private object that cannot be  Hick
described empirically. E.g. Julian of Norwich claimed that he felt the 
mysterium fascinans (the mystery of the fascination). mystical presence of Jesus.
 These experiences provide a reference point and from then 5. Experiences of God not mediated through any empirical object. E.g.
on believers interpret the world through the experience and Nicholas of Cusa claimed to perceive God as an absolute non-bodily spirit. 
the beliefs attached to it. Swinburne offers two principles to defend religious experience:
 Corporate Experiences  The Principle of Credulity – our experience is normally reliable, so on the
 One that happens simultaneously to two or more people. balance of probability, experience can be trusted as being more likely to be  Daw
true than not. We should therefore trust our perceptions about our 
 For example, Toronto Blessing 1994 – a large number of experiences of God.
believers affected by the Holy Spirit and received divine  The Principle of Testimony – if someone said that they had a religious
revelation. experience, then we should accept it and believe them. 
 Near-Death Experiences
 Occurs when someone ‘dies’ and is resuscitated. WEAKNESSES IN SWINBURNE’S ARGUMENT

 Often people’s lives are changed and they live life more