TYPES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
the process, gradual or sudden, by which a self, hitherto divided, and consciously wrong, inferior and unhappy, becomes united and consciously right, superior and happy, in consequence of its firmer hold upon religious realities - William James
Paul's famous Christophany was a conversion experience. Paul's conversion was unusual in a number of ways.
First, Paul was not converting from non-belief to religious belief; he was already a devout Jew and was converting from one religion to a new religion. Secondly, although Paul's conversion was sudden, it was an intellectual conversion as well as a moral/social one. Paul rejected his old beliefs in persecuting and executing Christians and acquired a new circle of Christian friends. He then spent several years studying his new faith and reflecting on its implications before he started his missionary work. His conversion was life-long and he kept his new beliefs in the face of torture, imprisonment and his eventual execution. |
I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ, in Christianity - C.S. Lewis
I know very well when, but hardly how, the final step was taken ... When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did - C.S. Lewis Lewis described himself as a "reluctant convert" because he tried for a long time to persuade himself against religion before eventually surrendering to its claims - a classic gradual and intellectual conversion. He became a lifelong convert and apologist (defender) of Christianity. His conversion experience influenced his writing, such as the lion Aslan in his Narnia books, who represents Christ.
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Two weeks later, Wilkerson organised a rally to encourage his young audience to convert. Cruz and his gang attended the meeting, intending to start a fight there. Instead, Cruz felt overwhelmed by guilt. When Wilkerson invited Cruz to go round and collect money from the congregation, Cruz was stunned by the trust Wilkerson showed in him. Cruz handed over the money, prayed for God’s forgiveness and converted. He took his gang to the police station and they handed over all their weapons. He later became a preacher himself.
Cruz's story is told in his autobiography Run, Baby, Run (1968) and in Wilkerson's book The Cross & The Switchblade (which was made into a film in 1970). Cruz's conversion was sudden, although he had been exposed to Wilkerson's preaching for weeks beforehand. It was a moral conversion at first, although Cruz went on to Bible College to learn more about his new faith and became a lifelong convert.
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Many Hindus believe that through experience and meditation they can gain knowledge of Brahman (the impersonal God). Some meditate by chanting sacred mantras. Others may use breath control, known as pranayam, or controlled breathing and body postures, known as 'yoga'. Other focuses of meditation include the use of a mandala, a complex pattern that concentrates the mind, meaning everyday thoughts are cleared away. Hindus who meditate believe it enables them to connect with the divine in a way that other forms of worship, eg prayer, does not.
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People need to be skilled at samatha meditation first before attempting vipassana meditation. Other types of meditation include concentrating on breathing to become alert, focused and calm; and mindfulness meditation, which involves becoming aware of your body and mind and developing a lucid awareness. The aim is to achieve Right Mindfulness, one of the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path.This produces calmness, insight and compassion, leading to Enlightenment.
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Meditation has a lower status in the theistic tradition. For some Christians, meditation (or contemplation) is a way of trying to reach a higher spiritual level. Orthodox Christians, use the 'Jesus Prayer' ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"), which is chanted over and over to clear the mind and achieve inner peace. Roman Catholics, use a rosary to meditate on the life of Jesus. There are similar techniques in Islam and Judaism.
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Famous mystics in the theistic tradition include
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The mysticism of knowledge & understanding is another ‘urge’ which is in all of us. We need to try to find out the ‘secret of the universe’ (or ‘the meaning of life’). Science and philosophy give us this too, but in "sections" and this doesn't answer our need to know ‘the whole story’ and get 'the big picture'. Understanding something completely in this way is known as holistic understanding. We can look for holistic answers to ultimate questions through the mystical experience of God.
Fans of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy will know all about the answer to the question of Life, the Universe and Everything...
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The German theologian Rudolf Otto uses the term ‘numinous’ in The Idea of the Holy (1917) to describe being in the presence of an awesome power. He suggests that religion derives from experiencing a being that is totally separate from this world.
Otto claims that many of the visions recorded in the Bible, such as Moses’ encounter with the burning bush, are experiences of the numinous. However, the best example of the numinous in the Bible would be the vision of Isaiah (Isaiah 6: 1-5). In this passage, the Prophet Isaiah enters the Temple after the death of his king and sees a vision of God there: |
I saw the LORD, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
mysterium tremendum et fascinans (fearful and fascinating mystery)