To put more specifically what I think Clare was implying - Do we *need*
to distinguish 'chemically-induced states' from 'genuine experiences of
divinity'? Or might experiences sometimes be both chemically induced
(externally or internally) and at the same time genuine experiences of
divinity. Why posit the question as either/or when it may (at least in
some cases) be both/and?
Cheers
Linz
On 29/07/2004, at 9:06, Clare Pascoe Henderson wrote:
Greg Crawford wrote:
...what I am suggesting is that other substances can produce euphoric
states that some would interpret as a religious experience, but which
are purely chemical. Not all those chemicals originate outside the
body. The release of some into the brain can be induced by particular
activities.
So the question I am raising is, “how do we distinguish such
chemically-induced states from genuine experiences of divinity?”
And I'd like to turn it around and ask "how can we say that genuine
experiences of divinity (even with content) aren't chemically induced
anyway?" We can't. Paul's revelations could have been the result of
hallucinogenic drugs, for all we know. And, according to what you
said to Leo, content can be purely subjectively assessed ("If you
experience a “daily self-revelation”, surely that is content?")
In other words, my answer to your original question here:
> If such psycho-biological experiences are in fact a masking
themselves
> as encounters with the divine, how could one identify them? Is the
> absence of content a clear indicator, or might that just be a symptom
> of a person’s inability to articulate what they have encountered?
...is that IMO judging a true religious experience from a biological
euphoria is so fraught with the potential for MISjudgement that doing
so poses too great a risk of denying people's valid experiences of
god.
Clare
***************************************************
Clare Pascoe Henderson
http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org
Clergy Sexual Abuse in Australia
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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