Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland: Notes
Eric G. Falkenstein
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland 1977 DOI: 10.12987/9780300129700-013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Otto's concept of the numinous supports understanding religion and God through subjective experience rather than science or logic, and proposes a "continuum mysteriosum" built on it. The author further contends that paranormal claims, such as psychic sight or acupuncture curing heart disease, reduce to violations of physics because no known chemical or biological process could explain them. |
Abstract
1 The “continuum mysteriosum” is my invention, borrowing from Rudolf Otto’s mysterium tremendum. Otto was a famous 20th century German theologian. His The Idea of the Holy is one of the most important books on God in the century. Otto proposed that one can have a religious experience of God that is numinous—non-rational, non-sensory, and outside the “self.” The numinous is a mystery (Latin: mysterium) that is terrifying (tremendum) and fascinating (fascinans). Otto’s idea is important because it challenges us to look at religion and God in terms of subjective experience, not science or logic. Do not confuse this with theridion mysteriosum, which is a type of spider. 2 One might define as paranormal any anomalous event that cannot be explained by the laws of chemistry, or biology (as well as physics). Thus a psychic who claims to see through your eyes is making a claim that is inconsistent with what we know about the biology of eyes. An acupuncturist who claims to cure heart disease by inserting pins in specific parts of the body is doing something for which there is no biological explanation. However, on close examination such paranormal claims reduce to violations of physics. Yes, the psychic who claims to see through someone else’s eyes claims a power not supported by any detectable chemical or biological process in his body. He simply doesn’t have what it takes. If he could indeed see in such a remarkable way, he would have to be using some entity or process that is undetectable but nonetheless has an influence on biological and chemical processes. But such a miracle would require a type of matter and energy unknown to physics. In other words, his claim violates physics. The acupuncturist who cures heart disease is making a claim for which there is no biological or chemical explanation. No chemical or biological process in the human body would permit a simple needle prick to alter blood lipid levels, dissolve arterial plaque, and heal injured blood vessels. If pin pricks could do this, unknown and undetectable chemical or biological processes would have to be at work. Again, this would require a violation of physics, the