After examining the method of theological reflections of the heart the question that continued to arise for myself is whether a non-religious person can have a religious experience or whether one can fully understand God if they have not had a religious experience. Graham, Walton and Ford argue that we can experience God intimately and by reflecting on that experience we learn about God. Therefore, can those who have never had a religious experience ever fully understand God, his divine intervention in our lives and the peace he provides?
One may also question the religious ‘experience’ itself. John Wesley described his religious experience as an experience of ‘grace’ and ‘salvation’ which made his ‘heart strangely warm’. In a modern age one could look at Freud and Young’s work and argue Wesley was just having a psychological experience. It can be argued that after taking drugs one may feel peaceful and content which is how Wesley describes his experience. Therefore, is it right for one to be transformed and form their own identity on an experience which may just be an after affect of a drug? Is there any meaning to ‘experiences’ or are they just a figure of our imagination induced by drugs or our own chemicals within out body?
Another issue is whether a non-religious person can have a religious experience or is that impossible? Some may argue that God can ‘break through’ and touch lives that don’t even believe in him. Others such as 1Dr Michael Persinger performed research into epilepsy and argues that an artificial magnetic field focused on the connection between the temporal lobes of the brain can give people a feeling of ‘not being alone’ or a ‘religious sensation’. Persinger experimented his techniques on Richard Dawkins who very surprisingly didn’t find God. Nevertheless Persinger’s findings do provide another explanation for religious experience and can support the argument that a religious experience can be experienced by anybody.
This leads to the question of what exactly is a religious experience?! What makes a religious experience different to just an experience of anything like drugs or a happy feeling? How does one know when they are interacting with God or not and can this be tested? Furthermore, by evaluating a religious experience as we do in Wesley’s writings are we actually learning about God or is it simply our own interpretation of God? If everyone’s religious experience is individual then everyone will have an individual idea of whom and what God is. Is it even possible for humans to understand and analyse a divine experience? Do we miss the bigger picture of a religious experience by trying to evaluate it and not just except it for what it is or do we have to analyse to understand? By evaluating and critically analysing our experiences are we removing the divine or playing with God and the experience he is trying to provide? Do we actually experience personal growth because of this experience or do we grow naturally and in our own time in our society?
Ultimately these questions are unanswerable, however it is possible to agree that an experience with God when framed into words does enable reflection.
Excellent stuff Chloe - very interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour question about the way in which we interpret and respond to religious experiences is spot on - and difficult to answer. It could just be a psychological experience - but then so could everything else.