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Mystical experiences
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Introduction For out thesis is important to say that In the New Testament included some of the most important themes of mysticism. Mysticism is non rational experience of God. And it also means that God reveals Himself to individuals. Mysticism we're talking about has resulted of a profound experience of people with God. For the start of the topic is important to clarify the very concept of mysticism. The whole of Christianity, the Holy Scripture, and especially the Acts of the Apostles are interwoven with a large number of mystical experiences, experiences that defy logic and that somehow distinguish Christianity from the ordinary teaching or ideology. It is very difficult to speak on this subject for the simple reason - it is very difficult …show more content…
(James 371) Mystical experiences are mostly spontaneous: as they usually happen when you do not expect and to the people from whom it is not expected. Of course, mystical experiences are possible as the desired outcome of a deep contemplation and introspection. Another possible method contemplation. It may be added that the mystical experience as a rule is personal and the actor is largely passive, therefore God has chosen that it is based on divine grace through his Revelation. (Vincent 1) Mysticism is not something that exclusively belongs to Christianity. Various teachings and religions speak of mysticism. A lot has been written about Jewish mysticism and the influence of the Kabbalah and Hasidism, Buddhism itself is based on mystical teachings and mystics can be met in certain branches of Islam, such as Sufism (The mystical movement in Islam that stands for a personal relationship with God) For us, however Christian mysticism is the most important, and such mysticism is exhibited by the Apostle Paul and in Acts. Many Church Fathers were engaged in the mysticism of the heavenly or divine “embrace of God and mankind” in the early centuries, especially Origen, Philo of Alexandria and many others. (Vincent …show more content…
Through several major biblical stories we'll see how mystical experiences are presented in Scripture. The entire New Testament is filled with mystical experiences that the human mind can not explain. In the beginning, the event of Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. It could be argued that the Incarnation reflex in mystical experience of the human Jesus. Many theological explanations were given on act of the Incarnation; that has been understood as a revelation, a redemption or deification, and as an act of kenosis (state of humiliation or emptying that the Son of God accepted in the Incarnation). For one, incarnation is connected to the eternal plan of God in terms of creation. The embodiment is consistent with man's original destiny, and indication and the plan of becoming a tool of manifestation of
world of mysticism, a world fraught with peril. First you must study the basic subjects, those
The world is not what it appears to humans, but there are things that may be recorded, repeated, and experienced by others. Though each person is different, it is believed that we all experience the world in the same way more or less. Touch, taste, sight, smell and sound are the ways we interpret our environment. However, from time to time people have experiences that occur beyond those five senses and defy explanation as anything other than an otherworldly. Those experiences became a large part of religion, yet the manner in which most occur begs the question – why?
James’ focus on the mystic experiences that religion entails was characterized by four circumstances. These four circumstances were ineffability, a noetic quality, mystical states are transient, and people can’t control when the experiences come and go. For ineffability, the experience must be had by a person and cannot be transferred to another. By noetic quality he was stating that the mystical state came as a state of knowledge to the individual. James goes on to ask if these states are “windows through which the mind looks out upon a more extensive and inclusive world” (Varieties, 428).
There is not just one definitive type of religious experience, there is a variety. They could be coincidental events that are given a religious significance, corporate and private experiences, visionary and auditory experiences, physical experiences (e.g. stigmata), supernatural experiences (beyond the natural order of things) or noetic experiences (revealing new knowledge).
In his seminal work, The Meaning and End of Religion, Wilfred Cantwell Smith proposes using two separate concepts for religious studies. Believing that the conventional approach of studying “a religion” or “the religions” is inadequate and misleading, Smith states, “If religion or a religion is anything at all, it is not only in fact but in theory something in which actual living, historical persons are involved” (1838). Therefore, he offers his theories of examining “faith” and “cumulative tradition” as more valuable for any intellectual analysis of the religious experience of mankind. With these two separate, albeit, related concepts, Smith theorizes that religious studies can better grasp both the mundane and the transcendent aspects that make up the whole of man’s religious life (1899-1908). These approaches cover both personal and historical elements – faith being the inner, subjective, personal religious experience of man (includes the transcendent aspect) and cumulative traditions being the outward, objective and observable, historical religious evidence (the mundane aspect). Smith goes on to offer his new theories to the Christian Church as it struggles to maintain relevance in a modern world dominated by science and by “men of new knowledge, new opportunities, new responsibilities” (2406). He suggests that this dual method of analysis could assist the church in formulating a “new theology that will empower Christians to be at once more modern and more devout” (Smith 2396-97).
Kennedy, J. E., & Kanthamani, H. (1995). An exploratory study of the effects of paranormal and spiritual experiences on people’s lives and well-being. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 89, 249–264.
Throughout the Western culture, Christianity has played a crucial role in the spiritual life of many people. In fact, it is a one of the largest religion in the world with an estimating range from 2 to 3 billion Christians (Religions of the World: Numbers of Adherents; Growth Rates). Spreading with this worldwide religion, the idea that God is at the centre of daily life has a high importance to many people. In the early 20th Century, one of the significant developments of Christianity was the Pentecostal Movement (A Brief History of Christianity). More specifically, Pentecostalism is “the principles and practices of Pentecostal religious groups, characterized by religious excitement and talking in tongues”; its most remarkable detail is its emphasis of the Holy Spirit and the value of prayer (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). It has outspread around the world by the people who believed that they had experienced the marvelous moves of God.
ABSTRACT: This paper addresses religious epistemology in that it concerns the assessment of the credibility of certain claims arising out of religious experience. Developments this century have made the world’s rich religious heritage accessible to more people than ever. But the conflicting religious claims tend to undermine each religion’s central claim to be a vehicle for opening persons to ultimate reality. One attempt to overcome this problem is provided by "perennial philosophy," which claims that there is a kind of mystical experience common to all religious traditions, an experience which is an immediate contact with an absolute principle. Perennialism has been attacked by "contextualists" such as Steven Katz who argue that particular mystical experiences are so tied to a particular tradition that there are no common mystical experiences across traditions. In turn, Robert Forman and the "decontextualists" have argued that a certain kind of mystical experience and process are found in diverse traditions, thereby supporting one of the key elements of perennialism. I review the contextualist-decontextualist debate and suggest a research project that would pursue the question of whether the common ground of the world’s mystical traditions could be expanded beyond what has been established by the decontextualists. The extension of this common ground would add credibility to the claims arising out of mystical experience.
Throughout history and especially since the sixteenth century many Roman Catholic's like Martin Luther, have distinguished ordinary or "acquired" prayer, even if occurring at a super conceptual level of love, adoration, and desire for God, from the extraordinary or "absorbed" contemplation which is entirely the work of God's special grace. Only the latter is mystical in a strict sense, according to this view. Other writers, such as Bonaventure, can apply the terms of mysticism to all communions with God.
Revelations of Divine Love is a 14th century masterpiece written by Julian of Norwich. This book is an account of St. Julian’s sixteen different mystical revelations in which she had encountered at a time of great suffering and illness. St. Julian focussed on the many “mysteries of Christianity.” Through her many revelations she encountered God’s vast love, the existence of evil, God’s heart for creation, the father and mother-heart of God, and the need to obey her Father in Heaven. Amongst these revelations the most powerful was the revelation of God’s love and character. Revelations of Divine Love is a wonderful source of revelation to connect a reader to the Father.
A religious phenomenon is something that is unusual and occurs out of the ordinary where someone hears or sees something through a dream or throughout the day without the presence of hallucinogenic drugs. Some people claim they have seen the devil, heard trumpets in the sky, seeing the gates of heaven or even witnessing weeping and bleeding statues and any other resemblances of Jesus. A book was written about religious phenomena written by William James who was a philosopher and psychologist from NYC. In the book, he has four criteria for people who have trouble defining the experience they had. William James created the following criteria and said they are the main points of all religious and mystical experiences.
Spiritualism is the system of religious beliefs centered on the presumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible (Grolier '97). Spiritualism challenged dominant cultural beliefs of the 19th century (Paul) and is still in practice today.
Occult is gotten from the Latin word “occulere”, this means to conceal, it can also mean secret or hidden. According to the book, the belief in occultism is more than that of God; the practitioners see themselves as scientists, philosophers and religious leaders. This chapter tells us about the connection between Christianity and occultism, “what is being rejected by the by the occultists according to Whitehead, is the doctrine of atonement and the belief that the unrepentant will be consigned to some sort of eternal punishment.”(Lehmann 376)
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...