The Reality of Religious Experience

(Originally written March 1, 2007 in Book 13)

4 - Testing the Reality of Religious Experience

"The reality of religious experience is not axiomatic" (62).

Just because one believes in the transcendence is there does not guarantee the reality of it.

The data of religious experience must be critically examined.

The Nature of Religious Experience

In the broad sense, religious experience is an awareness of the Transcendent.

The Awareness of the Transcendent

The individual religious person senses a more or beyond. He feels that there is something beyond himself that is more ultimate than himself. He feels he is a part of the Whole and he is dependent on the whole.

Transcendence always involves transcending to another dimension or towards an object.

A total commitment to the Transcendent

In addition to involving a consciousness of a transcendent object, religious experience involves a total commitment to that object as ultimate.

Submission to the transcendent object is necessary to have a religious experience, a partial commitment or concerns are not enough; the ultimate object requires ultimate concern.

A religious experience is one of worship. One worships the Transcendent because he feels it worthy.

One must feel completely dependent on the object of religious experience.

"The Religious person feels that he cannot transcend completely without the aid of the transcendent" (63).

The Challenge to the Reality of Religious Experience

People have religious experiences. That is unquestionable. What is in question is whether or not these religious experiences are grounded in reality.