Religious Experiences are all Illusions - 3185 Words

‘Religious experiences are all illusions.’ Discuss. Most arguments for the existence of God are ‘a posteriori’, seeking to move from experiences within the world to the existence of God rather than relying on the definition of God to prove his existence. Religious experience is an interaction with God or a feeling of connection with a higher power. It is interesting to note that William James never spoke of ‘God’ but of the ‘spiritual’, ‘unseen order’ or ‘higher’ aspects of the world. Does a person have to be sure they encountered God rather than connecting with a higher power for their experience to be classed as ’religious experience’? The basic problem when trying to verify religious experiences is providing proof to show others that†¦show more content†¦We must appreciate that if God is beyond the limited physical world of objects that are known through the senses then he cannot be experienced. Otto believed that religion must be derived from a separate being from this world. He believed religious experience was a personal experience of the numinous that brought feelings of awe-inspiring holiness. Otto thought that the numinous couldn’t be successfully described using everyday human language as the experience is beyond ordinary experiences perceived by our senses. Words that are used tend to get close to experience but cannot pin it down. Otto called the words used to describe the experience its schema, but believed this schema was only an attempt to find words that could begin to describe the experience although the idea is inexpressible. Otto was developing the ideas of Schleiermacher who believed the essence of religion was based in personal experience. He thought that religious experience is ‘self-authenticating’ and requires no other testing to see if it is genuine. He believed experiences should have priority and statements of bel ief should be formatted to fit them. Also, James considered that religious experiences lie at the heart of all religion. We have to consider whether religions would have been founded and held a belief so strong for soShow MoreRelatedSigmund Freud Essay1264 Words   |  6 PagesOedipal Complex, and dominating humanity all over the world. (Webster, 2003) Sigmund Freud referred himself as a scientist, his main work surrounded psychology. (Webster, 2003) Science and Religion are completely different, from their beliefs to their thoughts; they can never come together as one. Thus, showing that on the grounds of accuracy, Freud’s thoughts on religious ideas as wish fulfillment cannot be accepted. Freud claims that religious ideas are illusions and fulfillments of infantile wishesRead MorePsychology, Religion, And Religion1397 Words   |  6 PagesPsychology and religion are two fields of inquiry that are intimately related despite not initially seeming so. Humans have been engag ing in religious thought for as long as we know, and possibly since we were first capable of thought. 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