Religious Experience
There are various interpretations of the definite meaning of a
religious experience, where each are unique and different.
There have been many, many stores put forward by certain individuals
who have claimed to have such an experience. Various people have
studied them, and have come to the conclusion that in most cases, very
similar subjects are brought up in them.
Some say that a religious experience involves having some sort of
contact with God. For example, it has come to our awareness that
people over the years have ‘heard the voice of God’. It is usually
described as a ‘mental event’ which is undergone by someone, and to
which they are conscience about it all.
A religious experience can also be described as ‘spur-of-the-moment’
situations that come completely out of the blue. These situations
could be the result of months, perhaps many years, of praying and
showing devotion and great loyalty to God.
Usually, when people talk about there experiences, they speak mainly
about the fact that an extremely special and sacred bond has developed
between themselves and God, which has allowed them to become closer
spiritually.
There is also a big difference between genuine religious experiences
and fictional ones. For example, real experiences tend to be hopeful
and heartening. They try and help the individual to live an enhanced
life and to get the best out of it. Religious experiences normally
puts the message across that to have an improved lifestyle, the main
way to achieve this is to help others.
Most experiences usually last only minutes, to perhaps a couple of
hours. However the informatio...
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... conversion leads to the adoption of a positive religious attitude, or
a religious lifestyle.
Edward D. Starbuck, a famous professor, showed that the non religious
younger generation, when converted, showed that there were very
similar conversions experienced by most adolescents, suggesting that,
‘Conversion is a normal adolescent phenomenon, incidental to the wider
intellectual and spiritual life of maturity’. (Edward Starbuck)
However, William James disagrees and thinks that there are some people
around in the world who cannot be converted, mainly because religious
ideas could never become the centre of their spiritual and religious
energy. Perhaps they are extremely negative and pessimistic, or maybe
it is because they refuse to believe anything with religious
importance.
Religion has many classifications, such as tribal, classical, transcendental and cosmological, usually based on one's belief and understandings. Religion also has many definitions, usually based on one's experience. A particular definition that I found was Religion originates in an attempt to represent and order beliefs, feelings, imaginings and actions that arise in response to direct experience of the sacred and the spiritual (Connelly, 1986). Religion also has many characteristics such as rituals, symbols and myths which play in an important part in how religion is viewed. We will take a look on how the definition, classification and characteristics of religion and how it ties into our understanding of the universe and our relationship with it.
Momen’s Physiological Model and Evaluation of Religious Experience Momen’s physiological model is put into four stages; the first is preparation which is a situation an individual finds himself in which is beyond their personal bounds of existence leading to confusion, frustration and lack of understanding of the problem. The second is incubation, this is when the emotions that are caused by preparation leads to the individual being over perplexed and turns themselves away and proceeds to another activity. Others will feel illumination whereby the strange feelings one receives are converted by the mind to insights and a newer and greater understanding that is often unexpected. Finally there is verification, this occurs when the individual is baffled by the situation and tries to work out the problem using existing concepts and tries many different methods until a satisfactory conclusion is reached. This model can be used in a religious experience, and makes sense when the word crisis is swapped with religious experience.
A religious experience is an event which brings about an encounter between God and the experient. It is a communication between God and the individual which brings about an overwhelming awareness of God. As a result, the experient may undergo a conversion, may believe they have received a revelation or feel called to fulfil a divine commission or spiritual responsibility. But a question that would arise is whether there are strong grounds that suggest that such experiences prove the existence of God.
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
When reading The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale, Hamlet and The Wife of Bath’s prologue and Tale it is apparent that religion is a very influential theme. For centuries religion has been the main topic of most conversations, yet at the same time the main subject of discussion. I am almost sure that at one point or another you have had conversations about what was right and what was wrong in society, in way or another your input on the subject was determined by your religious belief. Religion during the time these plays were written was very important and you are able to notice since all three plays mention the Bible, different sins or praying and all of these made up a religion. Even if both, Shakespeare and Chaucer were not alive during the same time period they did share the same country of birth and probably the same views on religion. In the Pardoners Prologue, the pardoner benefits from the need of people to seek forgiveness, in Hamlet, Hamlet changed his mind of killing his uncle when he saw him praying, and in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue she turns to the bible attempting to justify herself, all three plays make religion a major part of the development of the story line.
Early Christian monasticism derived from individuals whom fled to the deserts of Egypt in order to practice their faith. The monk, in attribute to the private nature of these first worshippers, is Greek for the word monachos, meaning “solitary”. These individuals, both men and women, were considered to be hermits and in addition to living alone, were under strict moral codes that enabled them from obtaining spouses, eating meat, and drinking wine. They simply devoted themselves to the Lord. These early worshippers were the foundation for the very first organized monasticism. The fourth century was the forthcoming of coenobitic monasticism. These communal monks followed Pachomius’ “rule”, which were a collection of governing guidelines that controlled daily life. They adopted this life in order to for “disciplining of body and spirit to foster contemplation of God”. The monks followed strict diet, prayer, and work procedures. Their living quarters were simple and their dress consisted of solely habits. These monks woke in the darkness of morning for prayer and weaved baskets...
Religion, in many forms, has had the most profound influence on human society throughout history. It’s been the basis for many human traditions, value systems, and conflict throughout the history of human civilization. Understanding religious traditions, relationships, and foundational beliefs enables humans to understand their differences and better prepare themselves to make decisions regarding religious interactions in the appropriate context. Religions are considered to be reliable and important in answering the most profound questions of human existence; where do we come from? What should we do while we are here? Since religion is so important so are the holy texts, because they put into words/ writing of guideline of what that religion is all about. In this essay I will attempt to explore and discuss a passage from Gospel of Luke 10:25-37 “The Good Samaritan” and “Surah Ar Rahman” from 55th Sura of the Qur'an and their relation to that particular religion.
This question deals with the necessity of God himself. It asks us to imagine that there is no knowledge about any superhuman being, such as God. It makes me think about weather or not we would be inclined to want something like God. I am forced to think of how important God is in my own life, and how important God is in the rest of the world.
Suicide bombing has been linked with Islamic religion over the years and is considered the act of terrorism in the world. The acts of violence are unfortunate. Whether they are done by Muslims or not is controversial. The link of the vice with religion has been a major talking point over the years because of the continual attacks by Islamic extremists. Islam is a religion, and Muslims represent a following of that religion. The act of following Islam by Muslims could be sometimes imperfect, but that does not mean that Islam itself is to be blamed for that. The noble Quran is the most important book of the Islam faith. It is considered as the very word of God. The Quran contains dozens of passages that preach peace and tolerance, so all the violent attacks happen all over the world are not always related to Islam.
Religious experience is defined as a case where people encounter deity or experience, thoughts or feeling about the greatness of God, and it is one of the most compelling reasons for people’s belief in God. The photo presents a shadowed figure of a praying man. With a beautiful sunset at the background, this seems to give a sense of solemnness and sacred feelings which might inspire religious followers or non-believers to believe in the existence of a higher being(s). Rudolph Otto referred such experience as ‘numinous’ in his book The Idea of the Holy. By numinous experience, he meant “the feeling of the ‘holy’ and includes awe, fascination, religious awareness and the smallness of self”(Jordan, 2008 p.15). Otto referred to such experiences
Can experience be properly categorized in the academic study of religion? Can an experience’s significance be determinate and/or meaning derived? Fundamentally speaking, what is the definition of religious experience? These supporting cast members serve to support the overarching question: how does and/or can one properly study the concept of religious experience? This paper comprises conversations from two persons engaged in this fundamental concern, Robert Sharf1 and Matthew Kapstein, about the study of religious experience.
Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs and worships which includes a code of ethics and a philosophy of life. Well over 90% of the world 's population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion? The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, dos and don 'ts, which a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion. Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed.
In the early 1970’s, Betty Neuman created a holistically based, open-system theory to aid nurses in organizing the voluminous information needed to deal with complex client situations (Meleis, 2007, p.307). One component of the Neuman Systems Model is spirituality, which is described as being related to beliefs and influences that are spiritual. It should be noted that this was absent in her initial conceptualization and was developed later (Meleis, 2007, p.307). While utilizing the Neuman framework for client assessment, religion is often applied as a spiritual factor. Using this theory as basis one might conclude that religion and spirituality are synonymous in concept. This begs the question: Are they, in fact, equal in meaning or at the very least required of each other for synergistic forward movement? I am not certain that the answer is clear-cut and I believe that personal observations will allow for objective thought for argument – pro or con.
The religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are alike in many ways but they also share many differences. Judaism and Christianity use the bible in their holy scriptures, while Islam does not. Jesus Christ is a part of all three religions as Christianity and Islam developed from Judaism. Many believe that the three religions worship, pray to, and focus on the same god. They believe this as many of the prophets are they share much in common as they share many beliefs. However, the followers of the three religions pray differently and in different places. the religions believe that their god created the world and everything in the world. The three Abrahamic religions have different histories, yet they share many similarities and difference.