To use media clips to understand the different types of religious experience and how these support or lead to a belief in God.

GRADE C
Will be able to correctly define the different types of religious experience.
GRADE B
Will be able to explain how having a religious experience might lead to or support a belief in God.
GRADE A/A*
Will be able to evaluate their own, and different peoples beliefs about religious experiences.

Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A
An image resembling the Virgin Mary is seen in the reflection of a building in
Clearwater. The image photo below is from 1999. It has been damaged in the past by someone throwing a corrosive liquid at it, but the image later returned.

After seven months of a difficult pregnancy, Laura Turner looked anxiously at the latest ultrasound picture of her unborn son.
She was reassured to see not just the baby sucking his thumb - but what she believes is an image of Jesus watching over him.
The 20-year-old nursery nurse was so amazed that she decided to give her son the Biblical name Joshua.

The most well known sighting is the
Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich found by Diana Duyser of Florida. Mrs.
Duyser claims to have kept the sandwich on her nightstand for over 10 years, during which time she had excellent luck at the casinos. The fact that the sandwich has remained mold-free is considered, by some, to be proof of the sandwich’s miraculous nature. In 2004 the grilled cheese sandwich was listed for sale on Ebay, where the partially eaten sandwich was bought by Golden
Palace Casino for $28,000.

In 2003, BBC reported from Bangladesh where a statue of the Virgin Mary was showing visible tears of blood. This was the first account of a crying statue in
Bangladesh, and the people believed it was a sign that the Virgin was in dismay over the recent outbreaks of violence that were occurring in the country

Miracles are just one way a person might experience God or have a religious experience.
Can you think of any others?
You have 2 minutes to jot down any ideas in the back of your book.
How else might someone experience
God?
What is a
RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE?
A RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE is when someone claims to have felt God’s presence.

Look at the picture clues you have been given to work out the different ways someone might experience God
(have a religious experience).
Be prepared to share the two answers you have worked out.

RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE
How / Where ?

There are 6 mains types of religious experience...
MYSTICAL
NUMINOUS
CONVERSION
MIRACLE
PRAYER
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
Match each of these to their definitions on the sheet you have been given.

Religious believers who have had a religious experience will find that the experience will make their belief in God stronger because they feel they have had direct contact with God.
Those who have a religious experience and were not religious will often be converted and claim that this contact with God is proof of his existence.

Over the next lesson and a half we will look at these different types of religious experience.
We will look at how they might support or start a belief in God.
You will be asked to give your opinion on these – are they valid
(real)? Do they prove that God exists?

This is a biblical story that is important to many Christians.
There are a number of examples of religious experiences featured in this story.
Look at for an example of...
CONVERSION
A MYSTICAL experience
A MIRACLE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eRX q-cKmr0

This is a ‘real life’ story of an
American former crack dealer who changed his ways because he had a religious experience.
There are a number of examples of religious experience featured in this story.
Look at for an example of...
CONVERSION
A MYSTICAL experience
A NUMINOUS experience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i
JbhJlY40i8

This is a ‘real life’ story from the
90’s. A young man’s life is changed after a simple shopping trip out with his parents.
There are a number of examples of religious experience featured in this story.
Look out for an example of...
A MIRACLE
PRAYER
A NUMINOUS experience http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzo ne/clips/the-multistoreymiracle/2878.html

Another ‘real life’ story of a woman who is pronounced clinically dead comes back to life claiming to have experienced the afterlife.
Think about
What she claims to have seen?
What does this prove – if anything?
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=PMICW2aaplA

Numinous
This experience leaves the believer feeling that there is something greater than them, which they to be God. Such a feeling is likely to support or start a belief in God.
Conversion
This experience leaves the believing feeling God is calling them to do something for him. Such a feeling is likely to support or start a belief in God.
A Miracle
When something breaks the laws of nature you will look for an explanation. If the only explanation is its a miracle, you will start believing in God.
Prayer
If the person praying feels like someone is listening they are likely to believe that God exists.
Also an answered prayer can lead to belief in God.
Mystical
This experience is simple – seeing is believing – If someone feels they have had a vision of God or something religious they are likely to start believing in God.
Near Death Experience
If someone believes they have had a glimpse of the after life this may lead to a belief in God as the two are often seen to go hand in hand.

in GREEN PEN
looking for you are
TARGET
 and a

Many holy books have many examples of religious experiences in them. Can they all be wrong?
If you cannot explain something that breaks the laws of nature using science, the only other explanation is
God.
Many peoples prayers are answered – this is proof that God must be listening and acting.
All miracles can be explained using logic (e.g. Jesus wasn’t really dead when taken down from the cross)
There are more unanswered prayers than answered ones.
Many people in lots of different religions all claim to have had religious experiences.
However, they cannot all be experiencing the same God, as different faiths tend to teach different things about who or what
God is, and our relationship with God .

Read the following descriptions carefully.
Using your mini white boards decide whether you think it is a…
MIRACLE
NUMINOUS experience
MYSTICAL experience
CONVERSION
PRAYER
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
It can be more than answer!

The oddest thing happened… The doctors say I was dead for 3 minutes. I could see myself on the operating table, then I saw a bright light pulling me closer. I was suddenly pulled back to my body.

It happened about 20 years ago when I was on a hike with some friends. I got to the top of the mountain and the view was amazing. I suddenly felt like there must be a creator, there must be something more powerful than me. I was left with a sense of wonder and awe.

I’m sure God is listening, I wouldn’t waste my time doing it if I didn’t. I was very ill a few year back, the doctors said I didn’t have long to live.
I asked for help….I ended up making a full recovery. The doctors were amazed.

I never believed there was such a thing as God. I committed a lot of crimes and treated people like dirt. Until I saw Him, He spoke to me and told me to change my ways. I have now devoted my life to
Him.