Category Archives: God

The importance of religious experience Part 6: Whatever they are, we should cherish our religious experiences – and be willing to act on them! I am conscious that – having laid out an explanation that rests just on natural, physical explanations – why should we bother introducing the supernatural, metaphysical explanation of God? Partly, thisContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 6”

The importance of religious experience Part 5: What if religious experiences do indicate that we are having an encounter with God? So, we seem to affirm once again that religious experiences are definitely real. They exist as a capability of the human mind. They are supremely wonderful experiences – so wonderful that we might wantContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 5”

The importance of religious experience Part 4: Whatever they are, religious experiences are certainly mysterious and wonderful This leaves unanswered at the moment as to why anyone had the concept of God in the first place, not unless the idea of God was invented in order to try and explain what this strange religious experienceContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 4”

The importance of religious experience Part 3: What if religious experiences have an entirely natural cause? I don’t think there is a way to answer this question with certainty, and each person simply has to decide what they think is most plausible. However, we can return to the issue that there is no doubt thatContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 3”

The importance of religious experience Part 2: What’s going on when we experience anything? The argument from religious experience is a very strong one. If I am experiencing now things in the external world – eg I can see trees and houses, and tables and chairs and people – then I am happy to acceptContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 2”

The importance of religious experience (A theological and philosophical reflection in 6 parts) The importance of religious experience Part 1: Two options: “I’ve met God” or, “It’s just all in the mind”. I have believed in God all my life. There have been periods of extreme doubt, when I could easily have given up, butContinue reading “The importance of religious experience. Part 1”

Awestruck Part 4: Whole And so now, at the reflective end of my life (I mean, as opposed to the setting out, beginning, and striving, and lots to do end of my life) I am wondering what it would mean – and is it even possible – to stitch together these two aspects of myContinue reading “Awestruck. Part 4”

Awestruck Part 3: Stitching together I may well just have made a mistake. I have noticed something – that life is ineffably wonderful – good – but have been knocked off course by this, when our task is to notice the beauty and then get on with what we’re doing. Certainly, up till now, IContinue reading “Awestruck. Part 3”

Awestruck Part 2: Torn But what if we could stitch together the everyday and the wonderful? I am tempted to say that all life has that awestruck quality to it, but I may be going too far, losing touch with reality – and certainly leaping ahead. For we are still struggling to make sense ofContinue reading “Awestruck. Part 2”

Awestruck (A reflection in 4 parts) Awestruck Part 1: That moment We all know the experience. We have stepped into a cathedral, and we stop in awe, looking at the vaulted ceiling, astounded by the sense of space, the cavern of air between the pillars. Or we are out on a walk in the countrysideContinue reading “Awestruck. Part 1”