Revision:Challenges To Religious Experiences - Essay Plan

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Describe and illustrate The Argument from Religious Experience.

(explanation of view + examples + key philosopher/s + key vocabulary)

Type 1: I have had an experience I am certain is God. I have no reason to doubt this experience. Therefore God exists. –Principle of Credulity: our experiences are a good guide to how things really are.

Type 2: I have heard reports from others of their experiences of God. I have no reason to doubt these reports. Therefore God exists. –Principle of Testimony; unless we have reason not to, we should believe others. –RICHARD SWINBURNE.

First objection to the view (+ example)

• We cannot be certain a religious experience is real.

Response to objection that could be given or has been given

• There are ways of testing, e.g. seeing how much impact the experience has had on the individual (e.g. their happiness, good deeds etc).

Conclusion on effectiveness of first objection

• Such methods only test whether they believe the experience to be true. Not whether it is really true.

Second objection to the view (+ e.g.)

• Religious people usually have these experiences and so their interpretation is biased to believe it is God.

Response to objection that could be given or has been given

• There is no reason to assume religious people are less reliable than non believers. They are more open to experiences, which is why they have them more.

Conclusion on effectiveness of second objection

• Religious people would be more likely to interpret the experience as God, as they are predisposed to believe. However, this is no grounds to dismiss their experiences-they could still be true.

Third objection to the view (+ e.g.)

• Even if the person is in a “normal” state, we can still doubt them. Often our senses deceive us, e.g. optical illusions.

Response to objection that could be given or has been given

• Just because our senses sometimes deceive us, we have no reason to generalise and say that all religious experiences are illusions.

Conclusion on effectiveness of third objection

• It seems unreasonable to generalise and say all experiences are unreal, however it also seems unreasonable to assume that all experiences are real!

Overall conclusion on the view in question (+ some idea of a better alternative position if you think the view fails)

As there is little evidence with which to verify religious claims, we cannot be certain religious experiences are valid. People could have these experiences, however there is no proof that these are caused by a God, and therefore the argument is flawed in proving the existence of a God.

Comments

• Suitable for: A Level Philosophy.
• Written by: snakepit.
• From this thread.