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Challenges to religious experience
Lesson Objective:
I will know about the various ways in which thinkers have
challenged religious experience and their counterarguments
Hmk: Remember, assessment Thursday 8th
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1. Mystical
experience
2. Numinous
Experience
3. William James’
criteria for mystical
experiences
4. James’
conclusions
5. Pragmatism
6. The Principle of
credulity
7. The Principle of
testimony
8. Edwin Starbuck
9. Richard Dawkins
G. Found that nonreligious adolescents
appear to go through
stages of anxiety and
depression before finding
‘happy relief’ in a
conversion experience.
H. Believes that faith
“means blind trust, in the
absence of evidence, even
in the teeth of evidence.”
A. On observing the effects of
religious experience, we have to
conclude that there is truth to be
found in religion
B. We must accept what appears to
be the case unless we have clear
evidence of the contrary. Be
credulous.
C. Used to describe experience of direct
contact or oneness with God or
ultimate reality
E. Unless we have positive evidence that
someone is misremembering, or untrustworthy,
we should believe the testimony of the
experience.
I. Religious experiences are psychological
phenomena which occur in the brain, but
these experiences may also have a
supernatural element to it as well.
D. Ineffable,
Noetic, Transient
and Passive.
F. Used to describe
experiences of aweinspiring terror in the
presence of God
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http://www.teachit.co.uk/custom_content/timer/ti
mer.html
Speed Date –
Four Challenges: pg 44-45
Challenge 1: Psychological
Note down the arguments of
FEUERBACH and FREUD
Note the counter-argument from JUNG
and JAMES
Challenge 2: Physiological
Note down what some
SCIENTISTS have argued.
What is the counter argument?
Challenge 3:
Interpretation.
Note down the challenge
and the counter
argument. Explain how a
pluralistic interpretation
would be helpful
Challenge 4: Is it logically
possible?
Note down what KANT argues.
Note the counter argument from
ALSTON and BROAD.
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Speed teach
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On your ‘speed teach’ activity you must give and receive
information
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The purpose of this exercise is for sharing knowledge.
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Make sure that your partner gives you the vital information
that you need. Write it down.
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At the end we will evaluate how the sessions went.
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Evaluation web

Produce an evaluation web, summarising all of the arguments
looked at in today’s lesson, with their counter arguments. See
if you can get it all on one page.

Keep it balanced – You could use your reading of the chapter
from Bannister to help.
P.R.E.
Boxing
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THE RULES:
If there is a God there are likely to be
experiences of him. There are religious
experiences, therefore there is a God.
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Anybody who wishes to speak must put up their hand.
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When a person is speaking, everyone else listens.
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Only one person speaks at a time.
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Everyone should try to speak at least once during the session.
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The person speaking chooses the next person to speak from
another side (who has their hand up). If there is more than one
person who wishes to speak, you should pick the person who has
said the least so far (NAME)
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A new speaker first has to offer a critical comment and EVALUATE
what the previous person has said e.g. I agree because…., I think
that is wrong because…., I disagree about this aspect….
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The speaker must then say something substantial to drive the
discussion forwards (BUILD)
NAME
EVALUATE
BUILD
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Statements
1.
The very fact that there are many different religions in the
world proves that religious experiences are not authentic.
2.
Religious experience is emotional and therefore is not
valid.
3.
If there is a God there are likely to be experiences of him.
There are religious experiences, therefore there is a God.
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Questions for discussion
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Is God really man written in large letters?
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What reasons might people have for inventing the idea of God?
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How might a believer respond to this suggestion?
+ What you need to know…
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What is a religious experience? What is a mystical experience?
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James’ criteria for mystical experience to explain different types:
ineffable, noetic, transient, passive.
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Otto and Numinious experience.
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Visions and Voices – some examples e.g. Augustine, Paul, Muhammad,
Teresa of Avila.
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Conversion as evidence for God? Nicky Cruz. Psychological views to
counter, e.g. Edwin Starbuck.
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Swinburne – Principle of credulity and the principle of Testimony.
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Challenges to Religious Experience – Psychological, physiological,
difficulties of interpretation, it is logically impossible to experience God.
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Remember, you need to be evaluating throughout your answer.