Discussing Religious Experiences

What are three reasons why personal testimony or witness is enough to support the validity or a religious experience?

• We rely on our senses so must trust them to an extent

• Corporate experiences mean people are less likely to like and misinterpret

• Testimony can include longer term effects on a person - James

What are three reasons why personal testimony or witness is not enough to support the validity or a religious experience?

• People are inherently bad - could be lying

• Our senses can deceive us

• Because RE is in the bible people will try to relate

What are 3 reasons why corporate religious experiences can be considered more reliable or valid then individual experiences?

• Incarnation - corporate experience

• Less likely a group of people can stick to a story if its not true

• More people experience it - more likely to be valid

What are 3 reasons why corporate religious experiences can’t be considered more reliable or valid then individual experiences?

• Mass hysteria

• People can collude and lie

• Toronto blessing - TV channels and events so could be for the money

3 Reasons why religious experience can provide a basis for belief in God or a greater power?

• Toronto Blessing - Mass numbers experiencing a great

• Bible is full or RE on the basis of faith

• Conversion experiences are the basis of peoples belief in God

3 Reasons why religious experience can’t provide a basis for belief in God or a greater power?

• Hallucination

• Freud - all humans have the same desires and religion meets those needs - all psychological

• Not everyone has RE’s