Doświadczenie religijne – problemy terminologiczne
Homo Politicus December 20, 2011 Andrzej Szyjewski 1 citation
The vast number of interpretations of religious experience hinders scientific discourse, especially when mystical experiences are conflated with all religious experiences or when unfamiliar types are dismissed. A graded scale of religious experiences is proposed, with mystical experiences as the most intense form. Drawing on Otto's sensus numinis, the content and components of experience become central. Joachim Wach's classical conception orders the discourse and makes religious experience a core principle of religious studies, while Abraham Maslow's concepts of peak and plateau experiences are also promising. Religious experience is graded, not merely a sense (sensus numinis), brings cognitive and volitional effects, need not be personal, and is usually expressed through symbols and myths.