Problems Of Religious Experience

Problems of Religious Experience

Are religious experiences illusions? Or are (at least some) religious experiences veridical? This is a philosophical problem of great importance for theology. A central thesis in the present essay is—negatively—that religious experiences are not self-authenticating and—positively—that they require the backing of an overall world-view. In addition some guidelines for distinguishing true religious experiences from false ones are required. These matters are dealt with in chapter 8-10. However, various other problems of religious experience has to be solved first. Some of the most important ones are discussed in chapter 1-7. Chapter 1 focuses upon the concept of religious experience, which is explained in terms of experiences of transcendence. Chapter 2 examines some arguments for the claim that religious experiences cannot be conceptualized and concludes that some general concepts can be applied even if the possibility of their revision remains permanently open. Chapter 3 scrutinizes some arguments against the claim that experiences of God are possible. In chapter 4 the concept of revelatory experiences is analysed and the possibility of a rational assessment of revelation-claims discussed. In chapter 5 it is argued that the valid claim that religious experiences are determined by underlying religious beliefs does not imply that religious experiences are without epistemological significance. In chapter 6 a number of arguments against the veridicality of religious experiences is examined. Chapter 7 contains a more extensive discussion on the epistemological consequences of a natural explanation of religious experiences. It is argued that religious experiences can be veridical experiences of the transcendent even if they have a natural explanation.

Problems of Religion

Theodore Schroeder's Use of the Psychologic Approach to Problems of Religion, Law, Criminology, Sociology and Philosophy