"The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Is there a God? If so, what is She like?

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Jaded Sage
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Jaded Sage »

Arising_uk wrote:
Jaded Sage wrote:Guys, he means people LIKE Christ, Buddha, Muhammad, Lao Tzu, etc. He goes on to mention some philosophers, some lesser known religious figures and a bunch of nonfamous and everyday people.
I got that just from the excerpt.
Good for you, good sir.
Jaded Sage
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Jaded Sage »

I must've missed something. Did somebody say he meant someone like Manson?
Obvious Leo
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Obvious Leo »

Jaded Sage wrote:I must've missed something. Did somebody say he meant someone like Manson?
Not explicitly, but a full reading of the text would certainly show that the intent would include Manson, Jones, Moon, Koresh, the Maharishi or any other figure who can attract a cult following. Maybe even Trump.
Jaded Sage
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Jaded Sage »

I don't see that at all.
bobevenson
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by bobevenson »

Arising_uk wrote:Your excerpt says that he's talking about the great religious leaders bob and not you. As you are the follower of a religion and not the instigator of one.
Well, I would say more of an instigator in that writing "The Ouzo Prophecy" is like John on the isle of Patmos writing the book of Revelation, both documents being divinely inspired.
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FlashDangerpants
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Jaded Sage wrote:I must've missed something. Did somebody say he meant someone like Manson?
Within context yes. If that guy was on about Bob as much as any of those other dudes, then he was on about every bat shit mentalist who thinks they speak on behalf of God. Any omissions would be outrageous discrimination.
bobevenson
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by bobevenson »

There's one critical difference between me and those other Johnny-come-latelies, including Billy Graham and the Pope: I have prophetic credentials of divine inspiration, divine guidance and divine intervention, but they don't.
Obvious Leo
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Obvious Leo »

bobevenson wrote: Jaded Sage wrote:
I must've missed something. Did somebody say he meant someone like Manson?


Within context yes.
William James was arguably the first scholar to establish behavioural psychology as a legitimate science and when this lecture is taken into context it becomes clear that his ideas in this field were not confined to matters of religion. He was referring to the tendency of humans to voluntarily swallow any line of bullshit provided it is presented to them by a sufficiently charismatic and forceful personality. This would then also include such figures as Ghandi, Hitler, Martin Luther King, Donald Trump etc because the content of the bullshit is a tangential issue compared to the persuasive authority of the bullshit artist. Our history books are full of such people but perhaps the best in the business was Saul of Tarsus, a misogynist paranoid schizophrenic and renowned psychopath who profoundly changed the course of European history.
Jaded Sage
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Jaded Sage »

What? That wasn't in the reading at all.
Obvious Leo
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Obvious Leo »

Jaded Sage wrote:What? That wasn't in the reading at all.
It wasn't in the highly selective passage offered for our comment but it was part of James' world-view nevertheless. Essentially he was saying that the personal experiences of epiphany experienced by the few can have long term consequences for the many because of the unusual psychological dynamics which come into play.

I'll remind you that this is a philosophy forum and therefore religious questions can only be considered in terms of their significance as either psychological or sociological phenomena. Whatever might be physically happening in the polluted mind of somebody suffering from a "religious experience" is a matter which lies beyond the domain of philosophical enquiry.
bobevenson
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by bobevenson »

You have to remember, Leo is from down under, and by down under, I mean his brain is where his ass should be.
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Arising_uk
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Arising_uk »

bobevenson wrote:There's one critical difference between me and those other Johnny-come-latelies, including Billy Graham and the Pope: I have prophetic credentials of divine inspiration, divine guidance and divine intervention, but they don't.
:lol: Two really, they are actual religious leaders whereas you're an interweeb loon living out his fantasies from his basement.

By the way and with respect to this 'divine' guidence,
bobevenson wrote:Theist, agnostic, atheist. As Bob the Baptist, I can tell you that the first and third are fools, and absolute fools at that.
bobevenson wrote:Anybody who isn't an agnostic is a fool.
So tell us bob, are you an agnostic or an absolute fool and if the former what is this 'divinity' to an agnostic?
bobevenson
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by bobevenson »

Arising_uk wrote:
bobevenson wrote:There's one critical difference between me and those other Johnny-come-latelies, including Billy Graham and the Pope: I have prophetic credentials of divine inspiration, divine guidance and divine intervention, and they don't.
Two really, they are actual religious leaders.
Actual false prophets, my friend.
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Arising_uk
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by Arising_uk »

bobevenson wrote:Actual false prophets, my friend.
Bobby, bobby, bobby, you still don't get it do you. You are the Anti-Baptist, False 'prophet' to 'Satan' and the 'Beast', as evidenced by your name and that you wish to give our world to them.

Although in reality you're just another 'christian' loon into numerology and the book of revelation with too much time on your hands and a mental disability. Ten-a-penny.

By the way,
bobevenson wrote:Theist, agnostic, atheist. As Bob the Baptist, I can tell you that the first and third are fools, and absolute fools at that.
bobevenson wrote:Anybody who isn't an agnostic is a fool.
So tell us oh 'prophet', are you an agnostic or an absolute fool?
thedoc
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Re: "The Varieties of Religious Experience"

Post by thedoc »

Arising_uk wrote:
bobevenson wrote:Anybody who isn't an agnostic is a fool.
So tell us oh 'prophet', are you an agnostic or an absolute fool?
Yes.
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