Religious Experience

• Who was William James?

  A philosopher and psychologist
• What do people who have religious experiences often called?

  Mystics
• How does James describe mystical experiences?

  Intense and totally immersive
• What are the four criteria that characterize mystical religious experiences according to James?

  • Ineffable: Beyond language
  • Noetic: Knowledge or insight gained
  • Transient: Temporary experience
  • Passive: Happens to the person
• What does "ineffable" mean in the context of mystical experiences?

  Beyond language and cannot be described
• What does "noetic" refer to in mystical experiences?

  Gaining knowledge or insight
• What does "transient" mean regarding mystical experiences?

  The experience is temporary
• What does "passive" imply about mystical experiences?

  The experience happens to a person
• How does James describe the expression of mystical experiences?

  Defies expression and cannot be adequately reported
• What analogy does James use to explain the appreciation of mystical experiences?

  Like music or love
• What is James' pluralist argument regarding religious experiences?

  They must have a common explanation across cultures
• What does James conclude about mystical experiences in relation to religion?

  They are the core of religion
• How does Paul Knitter's metaphor describe religions?

  Each religion is a well with shared water
• What is an alternative explanation for the cross-cultural similarities in religious experiences?

  • Naturalistic explanation
  • Human brains evolved similarly
  • Religious experiences serve psychological functions
• What is James' view on the effects of religious experiences?

  They can have positive life-changing effects
• What does James argue about the validity of religious experiences?

  It depends on their positive effects
• What case study does James use to illustrate his point about religious experiences?

  An alcoholic who gave up alcohol
• How does James view conversion experiences?

  As transformations to a happier state
• What is a counter to James' pragmatism argument?

  Some hallucinations can also be life-changing
• What does Swinburne argue about religious experiences?

  They can be evidence for God
• What are Swinburne's principles of credulity and testimony?

  Believe experiences unless reason not to
• What does Swinburne say about evidence for religious experiences?

  It must survive empirical testing
• What does Swinburne conclude about religious experiences with no evidence against them?

  They are evidence for God
• What is Freud's view on religion?

  It is an 'obsessional neurosis'
• What psychological forces does Freud attribute to religious experience?

  Fear of death and desire for eternal innocence
• How does Freud explain the hallucination of God?

  As a delusion from fear and desire
• What is Freud's response to the challenge of mystical experiences?

  They are reliving childhood experiences
• What is a counter-evaluation of Freud's account of religion?

  It is unscientific and overly-reductive
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of James' and Freud's views on religious experiences?

  Strengths:

  • James emphasizes positive life changes
  • Freud provides a psychological perspective

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • James may overlook naturalistic explanations
  • Freud's view is overly simplistic and reductive
• What does Freud's theory suggest about mystical experiences?

  They are harder to dismiss than hallucinations
• What did Freud admit about his theory regarding mystical experiences?

  It was a difficulty for his theory
• How did Freud explain intense mystical experiences?

  As reliving childhood experiences before ego formation
• What is Freud's view on the association of selflessness with religion?

  It is arbitrary and unrelated to religion
• What are the criticisms of Freud's account of religion?

  It is unscientific and overly-reductive
• What is a limitation of psychological arguments according to the text?

  They may not apply to every individual
• How do most psychologists view Freud's methods?

  Too unempirical for real science
• What did Popper argue about Freud's theories?

  They are unfalsifiable
• Who is Persinger and what did he create?

  A neuroscientist who created the 'God helmet'
• What does the 'God helmet' do?

  It manipulates brain waves to induce experiences
• What conclusion can be drawn from Persinger's findings?

  Religious experiences may originate from the brain