Religious Experience

Generally Religious Experience split into two categories - direct and indirect
Direct - person experiences God in a direct way. Otto called these experiences numinous meaning beyond the physical obervable world. e.g. Paul on road to Damascus
Someone experiences God in a direct way are aware of and know him in an intimate and personal way.
Indirect - experiences leading one to thoughts about God e.g. the beauty of nature or acts of prayer.
Swinburne categorises religious experiences to show the vast array: Public - ordinary (people interpret natural events as having religious significance e.g. beauty of nature) extraordinary (events appearing to violate our understandings of the workings of nature e.g. water to wine)
Private experiences: things describable in ordinary language e.g. dreams, experiences that are beyond powers of human description, and non specific - could be seeing the world from a religious perspective
Vision experiences God is 'seen' or 'observed'. e.g. Teresa of Avila was 'conscious' of Jesus by her side (intellectual vision, she didnt see a form but knew his presence) or St Bernadette saw visions of virgin Mary (corporeal vision as she saw the form who…

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