Many people claim to have had religious experiences with God—a phenomenon that has been true since time immemorial. How can a person think through this numinous topic? What are the right questions to ask?

In this brief article I’ll answer some basic questions about religious experiences from a historic Christian perspective. I hope my thoughts will be helpful to both Christians and non-Christians as they seek answers to this challenging topic.

Addressing Six Questions about Religious Experiences

  1. How can one possibly define a religious experience? 

This is a good question because the field of discovery is wide and deep. Yet the study of the philosophy of religion can be helpful. Part of the purpose of the philosophy of religion is to define key terms relative to the field of religion. Veteran philosopher and theologian Ed L. Miller, who has studied many religions of the world, offers this definition:

A religious experience is “an immediate, direct, and personal confrontation with the divine.”1

  1. Don’t the world’s religions recognize different types of encounters with the divine?

I have taught college-level courses on the world’s religions for over thirty years. I think there are three general types of religious experiences within the various religions of the world:

(A) Experiences rooted in revealed religions such as personal encounters with God, as reflected in the religious or the revelatory writings of especially Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Bible, Qur’an).

(B) Mystic religious experiences such as becoming ontologically one with God, as reflected in Hinduism and other Eastern religions. However, Hinduism has various views of the divine as well as various accompanying types of religious experiences.2

(C) The universal sense of a supernatural presence of God reported by people everywhere. Protestant theologian John Calvin described this type as the sensus divinitatis3 (“sense of the divine”), as discussed in the biblical book of Romans (see chapters 1 and 2).

In terms of conflicting religious experiences, the Bible recognizes that not all religious-like experiences are authentically divine. Counterfeit spiritual encounters are also a reality (2 Corinthians 11:13–15; Ephesians 6:10–13; 1 Peter 5:8–9).

  1. Are there ways to test whether a religious experience is spiritually authentic?

From a historic Christian perspective, religious experiences would be expected to correspond to the biblical revelation about God (theistic, monotheistic, trinitarian), Christ (Lord, God-man, only Savior), and salvation (grace-oriented).

During the First Great Awakening (1740s) when many thousands of people in the American colonies claimed to have had religious experiences within the context of Christian revivalist preaching, philosophical theologian Jonathan Edwards identified several authentic characteristics, including: transformation in holiness, sincerity in seeking God, deep-seated conviction, humility, willingness to forgive, and true faith works.4

  1. Are there ways to test whether a religious experience is genuinely and objectively true?

Religious experiences are challenging to validate on the basis of reasoning alone (though they can’t be illogical). These alleged encounters are usually, though not exclusively, private, personal, and subjective in nature. Nevertheless, they may fit well within the context of the Christian worldview.5

Some philosophical theologians would describe religious experiences as being analogous to sense experience.6 However, secular scholars look for natural explanations to such experiences—especially in the form of psychological theories.7

  1. Who are some of the famous biblical and Christian leaders who have claimed profound religious experiences?

The biblical figures would include, among others: Abraham, Moses, and the apostle Paul. Within church history St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Blaise Pascal—to name a few—claimed to have had religious experiences.8

  1. Can you tell us about your apparent religious experience?

I write about a religious experience I had as a young man that changed my life. See my blog post Are Religious Experiences Evidence for God? and tell me what you think.

Takeaway
Scripture tells us as Christians to test all things because there is much false doctrine that’s often connected to alleged or counterfeit religious experiences (1 Thessalonians 5:19–22; 1 John 4:1–3). In the Western world, spiritual warfare typically comes in the form of false teaching.

Reflections: Your Turn
Have you had a religious experience? If so, how would you describe it? Visit Reflections to comment.

Check out more from Reasons to Believe @Reasons.org

Endnotes

  1. Ed L. Miller, God and Reason: An Invitation to Philosophical Theology, 2nd. ed (Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995), 107. For more on the topic of religious experience, read Miller’s entire chapter 6.
  2. Hinduism may be defined as a collection of religions where religious experience reflects henotheism, monolatrism, polytheism, and pantheism. For a discussion of the religious diversity within Hinduism, see my book God among Sages, chapter 5.
  3. See my discussion of Calvin’s sense of the divine in Classic Christian Thinkers: An Introduction, chapter 7.
  4. See Edwards specialist Gerald McDermott’s lectures on Edwards’s attempt to define authentic religious experiences at the time of the Great Awakening: “Jonathan Edwards Lecture 1 of 4,” YouTube, April 16, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWYyMswT8wM.
  5. See Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, 2nd ed. (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004), chapter 13.
  6. Mark Webb, “Religious Experience,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2017 edition), Edward N. Zalta ed., https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/religious-experience/.
  7. Webb, “Religious Experience.”
  8. For the lives and divine encounters of some of these Christian leaders, I invite you to read my book Classic Christian Thinkers: An Introduction.

About The Author

Kenneth R. Samples

I believe deeply that "all truth is God’s truth." That historic affirmation means that when we discover and grasp truth in the world and in life we move closer to its divine Author. This approach relies on the Christian idea of God’s two revelatory books - the metaphorical book of nature and the literal book of Scripture. As an RTB scholar I have a great passion to help people understand and see the truth and relevance of Christianity's truth-claims. My writings and lectures at RTB focus on showing how the great doctrinal truths of the faith (the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, creation ex nihilo, salvation by grace, etc.) are uniquely compatible with reason. This approach reflects the historic Christian apologetics statement - "faith seeking understanding." I work to help myself and others fulfill Peter's words in 2 Peter 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." As an RTB scholar I have a great passion to help people understand and see the truth and relevance of Christianity's truth-claims. • Biography • Resources • Upcoming Events • Promotional Items Kenneth Richard Samples began voraciously studying Christian philosophy and theology when his thirst for purpose found relief in the Bible. He earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy and social science from Concordia University and his MA in theological studies from Talbot School of Theology. For seven years, Kenneth worked as Senior Research Consultant and Correspondence Editor at the Christian Research Institute (CRI) and regularly cohosted the popular call-in radio program, The Bible Answer Man, with Dr. Walter Martin. As a youth, Kenneth wrestled with "unsettling feelings of meaninglessness and boredom," driving him to seek answers to life's big questions. An encounter with Christian philosophy in Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis led Kenneth to examine the New Testament and "finally believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, the Lord and Savior of the world." From then on, he pursued an intellectually satisfying faith. Today, as senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe (RTB), Kenneth uses what he's learned to help others find the answers to life's questions. He encourages believers to develop a logically defensible faith and challenges skeptics to engage Christianity at a philosophical level. He is the author of Without a Doubt and A World of Difference, and has contributed to numerous other books, including: Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, The Cult of the Virgin, and Prophets of the Apocalypse. He has written articles for Christianity Today and The Christian Research Journal, and regularly participates in RTB's podcasts, including Straight Thinking, a podcast dedicated to encouraging Christians to utilize sound reasoning in their apologetics. He also writes for the ministry's daily blog, Today’s New Reason to Believe. An avid speaker and debater, Kenneth has appeared on numerous radio programs such as Voice America Radio, Newsmakers, The Frank Pastore Show, Stand to Reason, White Horse Inn, Talk New York, and Issues Etc., as well as participated in debates and dialogues on topics relating to Christian doctrine and apologetics. He currently lectures for the Master of Arts program in Christian Apologetics at Biola University. Kenneth also teaches adult classes at Christ Reformed Church in Southern California. Over the years Kenneth has held memberships in the American Philosophical Association, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Evangelical Press Association. The son of a decorated World War II veteran, Kenneth is an enthusiastic student of American history, particularly the Civil War and WWII. His favorite Christian thinkers include Athanasius, Augustine, Pascal, and C. S. Lewis. He greatly enjoys the music of the Beatles and is a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan. Kenneth lives in Southern California with his wife, Joan, and their three children.



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