The nature and influence of religious experience

Mystical experience: an experience of something beyond normal awareness.

Essentially, all religious experiences are mystical ones.

Mystical experiences and the views and main conclusions of William James

The views of William James on mystical experiences can therefore be used when writing an essay on any type of religious experience, not just if the question has 'mystical' in it.

The real test is the long-term change in a person.

James is a pragmatist, in that he holds that the truth of something can be determined by its practical effects and consequences.

As we have already seen, James believes that experiences are at the heart of religion, and, through his extensive research he noticed that, regardless of the religious tradition of the individual, religious/mystical experiences share common features.

From this, he developed his categorization of religious experiences (abbreviated to PINT) which he used to determine whether an experience could be deemed religious or not. In order to be considered a religious experience, all four of the PINT criteria must be satisfied:

Passive: people feel that they are not in control of the experience and as if another power is acting on them. The mystic does not initiate the experience, but, feels like some 'force' takes them over and they can do nothing to stop it.

Ineffable: the experience is difficult to put into words. For James. this is the most easily identifiable characteristic of mystical experience. Mystical experiences are intensely private events and often they cannot be adequately explained to anyone else.

Noetic: Here, James is referring to the epistemological value of the experience. Mystical experiences provide insight or knowledge into typically unobtainable truths i.e. truths that are not accessible through the senses or the rational mind. Ultimately, the experience gives direct knowledge of God.

Transient: The significance and effects of the experience are disproportionate to the time that the experience lasts. The experience itself lasts a short time (minutes) but the effect that it has on the person is usually lifelong. When writing an essay on religious experiences, James' categorization is key knowledge to include, however, be careful not to simply list the criteria, rather, use elements of it to both craft and support the argument that religious experiences are an indicator of a union with greater power.

Examples of individual mystical experiences

Guru Nanak:

Nanak had been raised as a Hindu in India during the 1500s. In attempts to focus on his relationship with/understanding of God, Nanak would rise early each morning to meditate by the River Bein. One morning he felt an overwhelming urge to enter the River and when he did, he found himself face to face with God (Waheguru).

He remained under the water speaking with Waheguru for 3 days, until resurfaced to form the Sikh religion and travel India teaching people about the Sikh faith and how to live by it.

Application of James' religious experience criteria to Guru Nanak

Passive: Nanak had an overwhelming feeling to go into the river which he abided by, resulting in his coming face to face with Waheguru

Ineffable: Nanak was able to articulate elements of the nature of God after the experience, but, could not describe the details of his experience including what Waheguru looked like.

Noetic: Following the religious experience, Nanak was able to describe the nature of God. This description was unknowable to him before the experience where he spent hours and hours meditating and trying to connect with God, but, left him unable to describe him. After the experience, Guru Nanak described Waheguru e.g. "he is without hate", his words later forming the most important Sikh prayer, the Mool Mantra.

Transient: Guru Nanak's experience, though only lasting 3 days, lasted for the duration of his lifetime and beyond, since the experience cumulated in the formation of the Sikh religion which is now one of the world's major religions.

St Teressa of Avila

Teressa experienced numerous mystical experiences and In her most famous vision, she experienced a piercing of the heart. She said an angel appeared on her left side. His face was burning. "He had in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire.

He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God." After her death, Teresa's heart was found to bear a scar.

Application of James' religious experience criteria St Teressa of Avila:

Passive: Teressa was passive in her experiences in that she did not do anything to cause them, but, felt overwhelmed by them.

Ineffable: Of her mystical experiences St Teresa of Avila stated "I wish I could give a description of at least the smallest part of what I have learned, but, when I try and discover a way of doing so, I find that it is impossible".

Noetic: The mystical experiences strengthened Teresa's faith in God, whilst they did not communicate direct facts about God (like Guru Nanak's did) they left her with an awareness of God that she would have been otherwise unable to obtain. Transient: Her mystical experiences left her with a "great love for God" which had lifelong effect

Aquinas' beatific vision

Whilst celebrating Mass Aquinas received a revelation that affected him so greatly that he abandoned his great work the Summa Theologica, leaving it unfinished. When later asked by his friend to return to his writing, Aquinas said, "I can write no more. I have seen things that make my writings like straw."

Application of James' religious experience criteria to Aquinas

Passive: The religious experience overwhelmed Aquinas during mass – he did nothing to cause this experience Ineffable: Aquinas was unable to articulate the experience & was unable to write about it despite the fact that he had dedicated much of his life to writing about God.

Noetic: The experience communicated knowledge to Aquinas that he was otherwise unable to obtain. It left him with knowledge of God to such a level that he described his life's work Summa Theologica as "like straw" afterward

Transient: The effects of the experience were lifelong for Aquinas which can be seen in the fact that he did not return to his writing.

Conversion experiences

A conversion experience: an experience whereby a person abandons their old way of life and adopts a new one based on an inner experience that is believed to be from God.

Conversion experiences can move a person from one religion to another or, from a place of atheism to theism.

James argued that conversion experiences are perhaps the strongest evidence for the divine because they are both pragmatic and transient in nature.

Looking at conversion experiences from the perspective of a psychologist, James noted that there was a common psychological impact of these experiences.

As a result of the experience, James highlights that religious morals and ideals, that were previously given little thought, become central to a person's habits and consciousness.

James noted that the pragmatic impact of these experiences (both volitional and self-surrender) was so great that they did point toward a union with the divine. He described several 'fruits' of a conversion experience that showed their impact and longevity including:

• A conviction of something beyond the material world.
• An immense feeling of elation & freedom
• A feeling of having met a friendly power & responding by self-surrender.
• A change in the emphasis of life. More spiritual, charitable, morally aware, and with a sense of awe and wonder at the universe A volitional experience is one whereby the subject gradually develops new religious beliefs, as well as moral and spiritual practices, by exposing themselves to and reflecting on, the teaching of a particular religion.

Self-surrender experiences tend to be ones where the subject becomes very suddenly, and in many cases, involuntarily, convinced of the truth of the divine or the particular religious belief system to which they convert.

Whilst they both agree that there are two types of conversion experience, James and Starbucks disagree on the value of them with Starbucks concluding that conversion experiences are the product of psychological effects.

Starbuck

Starbucks noticed that conversion experiences tended to occur in 15-24 year olds and from this rejected the divine notion of the experience opting instead to explain them as a "normal adolescent phenomenon".

Starbuck argued that the search for identity and purpose seen in adolescent struggles resulted in either a religious conversion experience or, a sense of calm and identity that is wholly psychological rather than divine.

Examples of conversion experiences:

Volitional: John Wesley

Wesley was a priest who found that he no longer had faith in God.

He was sick and fearful of death, finding no comfort in religion. When confiding in a friend he was advised to "preach faith until you have it". Wesley acted on the advice and continued to preach the word of God.

He was astonished when he found that people around him were finding faith so easy and converting to Christianity with ease.

One evening he went, reluctantly, to a Church service where he was listening to the preacher.

During the service, Wesley described the sensation of feeling his heart "strangely warmed" and overcome with the love of God. From this, Wesley regained his faith in Christianity and inadvertently went on to form the Methodist Church movement.

Self-surrender: Saul

Saul was an influential Jewish leader who, following the incarnation of Jesus, was instrumental in ordering the persecution of Christians because they were turning away from Judaism.

When on his way to Damascus en route to conduct more persecution, Saul was struck by a bright light and knocked off of his donkey. When on the ground Saul was blinded by the light and heard a voice speak to him saying "Saul, why do you persecute me?".

From this, Saul realized that he was wrong about Christianity not being the true religion and he converted.

Following on from this experience, Saul went on to become one of the most influential Christian evangelists of all time and contributed to writing many books in the New Testament of the Bible under his new name, Paul.

Corporate religious experiences

A corporate religious experience is a religious experience that is shared by many people at the same time. It could be argued that corporate religious experiences provide more evidence than individual experiences and so fit with James' empiricism. However, psychologists would point to social conformity to suggest that corporate experiences are less valuable than individual ones.

Examples of corporate religious experiences include:

Acts 2 (formation of the Pentecost)

In the Bible Acts 2 tells of the formation of the Pentecostal Church that grew out of a corporate religious experience.

The apostles were all gathered together & scripture describes ["Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them."] This is taken to be the first instance of 'speaking in tongues' which is a gift that members of the Pentecostal church still experience today.

It is the idea that people can communicate with God in a language that is unknown to them outside of the moment which leaves them feeling closer to God in an ineffable and transient way.

Toronto Blessing

The service leader, a Pentecostal pastor named Randy Clark spoke at the church and gave his testimony of how he would get "drunk" in the Spirit and laugh uncontrollably.

In response to this testimony, the congregation erupted in pandemonium with people laughing, growling, dancing, shaking, barking like dogs, and even being stuck in positions of paralysis.