Religious ExperienceA rgument
- Created by: Psycheart
- Created on: 30-11-16 15:04
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- Religious Experience Argument
- Strength's of the Experience Argument
- Effects: Powerful and positve- changes lives and communities in ways difficult to explain without an outside agency AKA God.
- Quantity: Religion has been widespread throughout history- could they all be delusional/ wrong?
- Similarities: Between descriptions of religious experiences that wouldn't be present if made up.
- William James' Argument
- All religious experience indicates the probability of God PLURALIST- speaks of 'the spiritual' 'higher aspects' of the world.
- Interested in the effects of an experience.
- Validity of the experience is based on the effects produced e.g. lives changed.
- Phenomena of religious experiences point to a 'higher reality'.
- Swinburne's Argument
- No reason for religious experience to be treated differently to normal perceptual claims.
- 2 Principles to support this
- Principle of testimony: Unless we have positive evidence they're misremembering or are untrustworthy- we should believe.
- 'Other things being equal, we usually think that what others tell us that they perceived, probably happened'.
- Principle of Credulity: Must accept hat appears to be the case unless we have contrary evidence.
- Evidence might mean you have reason to doubt the person, Prove God doesn't exist, or Experience wasn't caused by God.
- Principle of testimony: Unless we have positive evidence they're misremembering or are untrustworthy- we should believe.
- 2 Principles to support this
- No reason for religious experience to be treated differently to normal perceptual claims.
- Weaknesses of the Experience Argument
- Usually private: may convince the individual but do nothing for others.
- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) Rejected the argument because you can't confirm or deny what's happening to someone else.
- If we can explain religious experiences without a supernatural element, the argument is limited.
- Interpreted according to religious beliefs/traditions.
- Not every faith can be right.
- Usually private: may convince the individual but do nothing for others.
- 'If there is a God there are likely experiences of him' ........... 'There are religious experiences, therefore there is a God'
- Two sentences aren't logically connected.
- If we assume there is a God and he would interact with us an SWAP the sentences around they don't work.
- Affirming the Consequent Religious experiences may be caused by God, but they may not.
- 'If i drink too much I'll fall over 'I fell over- therefore i drank too much'
- If we assume there is a God and he would interact with us an SWAP the sentences around they don't work.
- Two sentences aren't logically connected.
- Strength's of the Experience Argument
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