Introduction to the Special Issue “Religious and Spiritual Experiences”
Religions April 29, 2021 DOI: 10.3390/rel12050307 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractWilliam James's classic work examines the personal, experiential core of religious life across diverse traditions, focusing on the feelings, actions, and individual experiences of religious subjects rather than on institutional or theological doctrines. He argues that the value of religious experience should be judged by its practical consequences or 'fruits' in a person's life, such as moral improvement and psychological transformation, rather than by the truth of its intellectual claims. The book draws on a wide range of autobiographical and case-study material to illustrate phenomena like conversion, mysticism, and saintliness, ultimately suggesting that religious experiences represent a genuine aspect of human consciousness with significant adaptive and ethical benefits.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | N/a |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Argues that the value of religious and mystical experiences should be judged by their practical fruits in an individual's life rather than by their doctrinal or metaphysical origins. |
Abstract
William James’s seminal book, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902/2012), describes the phenomenology and ‘fruits’ (James 2012, p [...]