Abstract
In the Christian tradition, a spiritual experience is a phenomenon that in some sense remains controversial. Nonetheless, spiritual experience in Christianity refers to the personalization of the faith in Christ that transcends the normal. This is, however, critically contested and regrettably unexplored. It lends credence to why contemporary research on religious experience reveals that Christian spiritual experiences have the element of supernatural intervention by the Holy Spirit, although supernatural must not be confused with spectacular. It might be spectacular, as in the case of Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Drawing upon extensive contemporary research, content analysis, and literature on religious experience, this study adopts descriptive methodology as techniques. The study situates religious experience as occurrence in an everyday situation of Christians through which they derive a clear inner realization of “the truth.” Findings reveal a significant implication for collective research on religious and spiritual experiences for Christians.
TopIntroduction
In phenomenological investigations of religious experience, there is much contemporary interest in religion as a powerful force, whether for good or bad in the society (Louchakova-Schwartz, 2017). There is a growing interest in the experiences within different religious traditions, as the experiential aspect of religion is where the traditions seem to converge thus creating an awareness and response to the divine or absolute. Throughout history there have been accounts of religious experiences. Religion is so entrenched in human nature that anthropologists have yet to discover a civilisation or culture with no trace of religion (Louchakova-Schwartz, 2017). From the earliest times of the Vedas and nature worship, humans have expressed an instinct that they are part of something greater (Dahl, 2010). They have felt influenced by powers which they have sought to appease by rituals and religious practice. At times people have felt a particular contact with a divine power, which they have worshipped, and by which they have felt guided. These experiences may be collected under different headings for further study. Religious experiences, however they are interpreted, cannot simply be ignored. They are too widespread to be disregarded as the delusions of a few feeble-minded individuals. Their effects are however, too transformative for them to be dismissed as irrelevant. It is therefore, through these experiences, a spiritual or ‘higher’ realm seems to enter human consciousness (Marion, 2016).
The religious individual places emphasis on the existence of another, different order of reality, called the sacred, outside the realm of physical reality. This reality is described and upheld by the particular belief system. Although it is ultimately inexpressible, unknowable and unattainable through physical means, it is accessible to individuals through the practice of their religion (Roy, 2001). A religious experience seems to refer to an experience as a result of the participation in the rituals of the religion, such as worship, prayer and other rituals. A deeply felt acceptance of salvation, a sense of unity, solitude and peace, or a warm feeling while participating in the rituals, or a strong urge to commit to certain principles of one’s belief can be described as religious experience (Roy, 2001).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Spirituality: Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience and something that touches us all. Put differently, spirituality is a worldview and a way of life based on the belief that there is more to life than what meets the senses, more to the universe than just purposeless mechanics, more to consciousness than electrical impulses in the brain, and more to our existence than the body and its needs. Spirituality usually involves the belief in a higher form of intelligence or Consciousness running the universe, as well as life after death. It exists to satisfy the deeper human thirst for meaning, peace, mystery, and truth.
Behaviorism: Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions. Behaviorism is a systematic approach to understanding the behavior of humans and other animals. It assumes that behavior is either a reflex evoked by the pairing of certain antecedent stimuli in the environment.
Polymorphism: The word polymorphism is used in various contexts to describe situations in which something occurs in several different forms. It connotes the characteristic of being able to assign a different meaning or usage to something in different contexts, specifically, to allow an entity such as a variable, a function, or an object to have more than one form.
Religious Traditions: This indicates the specific practices that bind a religion together, such as prayer, holidays, and attending services. An aggregation of these practices makes up what is known as religious tradition. The major purposes of these religious practices of religion are to achieve the goals of salvation for oneself and others, as well as to render due worship and obedience to God. Different religions have different understandings of salvation and God. The major religious traditions of the world include Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism, and Confucianism with each tradition including various branches often varying on a liberal to conservative continuum.
Revelation: Revelation is when something that was hidden becomes known. For many religious people revelation comes from God and reveals something about God. There are two types of revelation: General (or indirect) revelation. It is called 'general' or 'indirect' because it is available to everyone. There is also Special (or direct) revelation. This type is identified as 'direct' because it is revelation directly to an individual or sometimes a group. Specifically, in religion and/or theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.