Is Religious Experience Reliable

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Is Religious Experience Reliable

One of the ways of determining the believability of the existence of God is through religious experiences that people have narrated over the years. Natural theology purposes to separate the particular beliefs of the society and other religions with the detailed set of beliefs about God. Different religions propose that human beings have had an encounter with God at one particular point in their life rendering them able to determine the truthfulness of his existence (Evans77). Among the religious experiences include divine revelations and voices as well as inspired exclamations that teach people about the nature of God. It expands the living faith and offers a detailed knowledge of God. This eliminates people from the utter shadow of ignorance that limits them from pursuing some form of faith. In this case, it is possible to identify that religious proficiencies and special revelations have been used to guide atheists into knowing God.

            Theists believe that religious experiences are subjective sensations that a believer encounters during different stages of life. Such experiences warrant the need to develop staunch inferences that will concentrate on the existence of God and his ultimate purpose for human beings. For instance, God reveals his presence during conversion processes where a potential believer accepts to follow the tenets highlighted in God’s holy book and dismisses all their sinful ways (Evans84). While some people are likely to view such an experience as a feeling of change, forgiveness, and acceptance, non-believers are likely to dismiss such claims with the possibility of offering naturalistic explanations. In this case, considering that God is the creator, it is possible to identify that such a natural process is his doing. For this reason, a natural process through revelation can be used to justify the existence and acquire knowledge about God.

            Religious experience can assist people in knowing more about God as it creates an avenue where they can acquire awareness of the divine. The three components of religious experience include union, dependence, and separateness with the divine elements (Evans80). Theists often experience a unique union with the divine that engages dominance of one of the typical elements. Such an association between God and human beings cannot be identified monistically as an absolute unity as it encompasses a sense of love and devotion. Believers, in this case, need to display a sense of trust, belief, and devotion to God to receive divine experiences. It implies recognizing the dominance of God as a supernatural being as well as the characteristics that influence their faith in him. Religious experiences that take into account a feeling of unity, dependence, and separateness assist people in knowing the existence of God.

            The traditional view of God’s existence has been supported by the existence of the Bible as the primordial revelation of God to human beings. The Bible has been used as a source of propositional certainty providing answers to questions that people may possess. Conservative Catholics and Protestants stress the nature of God such as what he is like and his relation to people using content published in the Bible (Evans 100). Theists support this position by identifying that God revealed his true nature by offering prophets specific tasks and instructions that would guide the actions and behaviors of the people. A traditional approach to the believability of the existence of God underscores that his revelatory actions were communicated directly to human beings.

            Religious revelations of God are considered a type of special act and miracle. Believers have supported this supposition by arguing that divinities such as the Holy Spirit inspired prophets and authors of the holy books. The believability of such a concept is quite accurate considering that most of the events which were documented in the holy books occurred years ago (Evans97). Such a position suffices as credible considering that the events do not possess an intricately naturalistic position or explanation. Inspiration by the Holy Spirit possesses a significant authority for the believer based primarily on their position regarding the existence of God. It identifies a position of unity between God and human beings through a mediator, increasing the believability of God’s existence. In the traditional epoch, God revealed his true self through symbols such as doves, fire, and water. The Holy Spirit appears to people in the form of symbols and signs even in the contemporary society. It acts as guidance for people to ensure that they make moral and ethical decisions that envision those of Jesus.

            Prophets inspired by the divine realm have been associated with drafting holy books such as the Bible containing a myriad of miracles that have been performed by God. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam recount instances where special revelations were made as a method of knowing the ultimate nature and character of God. Believers who possess immense faith in God are bound to believe in the miracles as well as the truthfulness of such revelations (Evans99). Documenting a number of miracles and special revelations is meant to affirm the believer of the existence of a powerful and omniscient God, who is aware of the doubting nature of man. It identifies that some people purpose to demythologize the existence of God, then take shelter in a vast number of documented revelations and miracles.

Work Cited

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Evans, Charles S. Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith. IVP academic, 2010.Bottom of Form