Initial Religious Experience flashcards
Conversion
A change in religious belief and/or lifestyle
Vision
Something seen other than by ordinary sight
Mysticism
An experience of having encountered an absolute reality or a oneness with God
Ineffable
Cannot be properly expressed in words
Noetic
Cleary revealed insights unobtainable by the intellect alone
Transient
Having a short duration but a long-term impact
Passive
A sense of being taken over by a superior power
Subjective
Having its source within the mind
Veridical
When the experience exists as reality and not just in the mind
Numinous
Otto's word for an experience of the holy - something inspiring awe and a sense of separateness between God and oneself
Transcendent
Existing outside the physical universe
Immanent
Existing within the physical universe
Sufism
The mystical tradition is Islam, where dervishes create mystical experiences through whirling
Corporeal vision
Where the vision seems to be physically present, e.g. Bernadette's visions of the Virgin Mary
Intellectual vision
Where the vision provides some new understanding, e.g. the Magi's warning
Volitional conversion
Where the recipient makes a conscious decision to convert, e.g. Swearing Tom
Self-surrendering conversion
Where the recipient does not make a conscious decision to convert, e.g. C. S. Lewis
From belief to trust
A conversion which proves someone who already believes with a deeper understanding of their faith, e.g. John Wesley
Ecstatic
A mystical experience which produces a sense of ecstasy or bliss, e.g. Julian of Norwich's 'shewings'
The Seven Mansions
St Teresa's seven stages of mystical union with God, described in her book 'The Interior Castle'
Unitive
A feature mystical experience which means the recipient feels a sense of union with God or the divine, e.g. Henry Suso and Alfred Tennyson
Group experiences
Where multiple people have religious experiences at the same time, e.g. when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost and the Sun at Fatima
Sensory
A vision which seems to be experienced through the senses, rather than in a dream
Intellectual conversion
A change in religious belief based around understanding or new knowledge, e.g. C. S. Lewis
Sudden conversion
One which occurs in a short space of time, rather than gradually
Active conversion
One where the recipient's actions are directly involved in causing the conversion e.g. Swearing Tom attending church