Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the argument for the existence of God based on religious experiences.

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Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the argument for the existence of God based on religious experiences. (21)

Religious experiences are described as ‘something that is not a substitute for the divine but a method that is used to bring people closer to God’. They are usually divided into two main categories; direct experiences where the person feels in direct contact with God and indirect experiences, where the person feels an inner experience of Gods action in creation. Although many scholars such as Martin Buber and Kierkegaard believe that religious experiences prove the existence of God, others such Harris and Dawkins believe that what are so called ‘Religious Experiences’ do not prove the existence of a greater being. It is these two contrasting schools of thought that lead to the argument I am about to discuss in the following essay, as to whether or not, religious experiences prove the existence of God.

Firstly, a key argument in favor of religious experience, is a posteriori argument that relies upon the premise ‘The experience of X indicates the reality of X’. From this first premise, we can claim therefore that ‘The experience of God indicates the reality of God’. The experience of God is commonly known as a religious experience, there this argument is claiming that a religious experience is proof of the reality of God, meaning it is possible to experience God, and if we can experience God, then it follows that He must exist. Therefore, this argument does seem to prove Gods existence, however due to the claims made in the initial premise, it can only be claimed that if religious experiences are reliable, then they may indicate the reality of a God but as this cannot be proven, the most this can amount to is a ‘probable’ conclusion that God exists.

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A further argument that attempts to prove religious experiences to be true and therefore proving the existence of God, is one that focuses on the subjective testimonies of individuals who claim to have had religious experiences. It attempts to find similar characteristics and draw from these a general conclusion that religious experiences can only be explained by the reality of God. Swinburne argues inductively that it is reasonable to believe that God is loving and personal and would seek to reveal himself to humanity. He claimed “An omnipotent and perfectly good creator will seek to interact with his creatures ...

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