The Existence of God 2
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?- Created by: CPev3
- Created on: 12-02-19 09:07
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- The existence of God
- Religious experiences
- A direct, unquestionab-le encounter with God
- Conversions
- A religious experience causing the conversion from an agnostic to an atheist. Leads to a change in a person's life and behaviour.
- "At once he [Saul] began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God"
- Saul was blinded by a light from heaven by God. Ananias, a disciple, was called by God to place his hands on Saul to restore his sight. Saul dedicated rest of his life to spreading Christian faith.
- Mystical experiences
- Overwhelming awareness of the presence of God, leading to feelings of awe and wonder, as well as a sense of peace and oneness with God.
- Some Christians dismiss these as they imply that God's revealed Word and Jesus' incarnation aren't sufficient.
- Visions
- Supernatural sightings, sometimes accompanied by voices giving messages.
- Agnostics may say Christians are biased in the interpretation of their experiences- they are already atheists! It could just be a misinterpreta-tion of a psychological experience.
- Philosopher Richard Swinburne argues we should trust the testimony as it's unlikely that their aim is to trick us.
- Charismatic and ecstatic experiences
- An altered state of mind in which intense emotional and spiritual feelings about God are experienced. You may enter a trance-like state/ see visions.
- 'Slain in the Spirit'= falling involuntarily when touched on forehead by minister.
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit
- Giving control of yourself over to the Holy Spirit. Can come to know Christ in a more personal way and be filled with the Spirit's power to boldly share your faith and grow spiritually.
- Glossolalia
- Pentecostals believe they're equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit including prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues.
- Glossolalia= speaking in tongues= miraculously speaking an unknown to the speaker, ecstatic language through which they can worship God.
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit
- "Be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)
- Pentecostal and ecstatic experiences
- Pentecostali-sm is based on the coming of the Holy Spirit to the 12 apostles during the 1st Festival of Pentecost after Jesus' ascension.
- Pentecostals emphasise emphasise the work of the Holy Spirit and the direct experience of the presence of God by the believer.
- Are ecstatic experiences really acts of God?
- In the Bible no prophet, apostle or Jesus himself lay hands on someone, allowing them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and causing hem to collapse. Someone only fell when being judged by God.
- Theologian Jonathan Edwards believed a religious ecstasy changes a believer so they're more in line with godly characteristi-cs presented in the Bible.
- Religious experiences
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