The influence and impact of Religious Experience

whats a charismatic figure

an individual who inspires devotion and attracts followers due to perceived exceptional qualities, often attributed to religious experiences

whats conversion

a transformative religious experience involving a significant shift in beliefs, values or practices, often marked by a sense of rebirth or renewal

whats doctrine

a set of beliefs or teachings accepted as authoritative within a religious tradition, often informed by religious experiences

whats mystical experience

a profound, subjective experience characterised by a sense of unity, transcendence or direct communion with the divine

whats numinous experience

an experience of awe, wonder or the presence of a powerful, mysterious force, often associated with the sacred or divine

whats revelation

the unveiling of divine truth or knowledge through communication with God or a supernatural being, often through religious experiences

whats ritual

a set of actions or ceremonies performed for religious or symbolic purposes, often designed to evoke religious experiences

whats social cohesion

the bonds that unite individuals within a community, often strengthened by shared values, beliefs and practices, including religious experiences

whats theology

the study of religious beliefs and doctrines, often drawing on interpretations of religious experiences and sacred texts

whats transcendence

the experience of surpassing the limits of ordinary experience, often associated with spiritual awakening or connection with the divine

whats the relationship between religious experience and religious practice

• induces the belief that ‘the everyday world is not the whole of reality; there is another dimension to life’

• it can alter behaviour and change attitudes

• religious experience can influence further religious practice, including rituals, religious ceremonies and religious festivals

whats the difference between belief-in and belief-that

belief-in implies there is more than just belief-that Jesus was a historical figure and extends beyond the world. belief that makes a claim that is objectively true and that something is a fact

why are both seen as being part of religious faith

• both brought about by a personal religious experience

• reading and witnessing other people’s religious experience can also be a source of ones own faith

what different ways might religious experience develop belief-in and belief-that

often, experiences first foster belief in personal trust, which may later support belief that

value for religious community - affirmation of belief system

many religions around a founding father. in many cases these founding fathers have gained their knowledge from a religious experience.

examples of religious experience in Christianity

• Matthew 3, John the Baptist baptises Jesus. is it here that Jesus experiences God declaring that he is indeed the Messiah. it is whilst having this experience that Jesus commits himself to the mission of the Messiah

• Matthew 4, Jesus experiences Satan. Satan concludes 40 days of temptation with three failed final efforts. Jesus’ victory throughout this experience illustrated that he was the Messiah, which lead to him to offer up his life as a sacrifice for all humanities sins

examples of religious experience in Islam

• Muslims believe that the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammed through the angel Jibril gradually over a period of approximately 23 years

• Muslims regard the Quran as the most important miracle of Muhammed, a proof of his prophethood and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Adam and ended with Muhammed

value for religious community - promotion of faith value system

religious experience can also be the source of promotion of a faiths value system

promotion of faith value system - Christianity

• shortly after God delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt, they travelled through the desert and eventually camped in front of Mount Sinai. there God met and spoke with Moses, telling him why he had rescued Israel from Egypt

• when God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave them two tablets of stone inscribed by the very finger of God. the tablets contained the 10 commandments

value for the individual - faith restoring

religious experiences can restore an individual’s faith in two ways

directly having a religious experience

in his youth C.S Lewis, was a Christian. however, due to the horrors he saw in the WW1 he lost his faith, to the extent he gave lectures on why people should be atheist. however, in 1931 he had a numinous religious experience, which completely turned his life around. he would commit to Christianity and he wrote many theological books on faith

whats an historical religious experience

may help reengage a person’s faith. for example, a visit to Lourdes in France. Lourdes is famous as a place of healing, both physically and mentally, ever since Bernadette Soubirous had a religious experience of the Virgin Mary