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Philosophy of Religion |
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Chapter 5 Arguments for the Existence of God: Experience |
Section 6. Psychic Phenomena |
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Psychic Phenomena relate to a non-physical realm of existence and the existence of spirits or souls, of which the deity is a member, the Supreme Being, Spirit or Soul. The type of psychic phenomena involved here would be those that would support the immortality of the soul and survival after death. They are the phenomena that provide support for the post-mortem survival hypothesis. apparitions-spirits/ ghosts/ poltergeists · séances - communication with the dead-Medium· reincarnation memories · near death experiences-NDE's· death bed observations of the appearance of deceased relatives or spiritual figures coming to accompany the person who is about to die to their next realm.
. deities and spirits that enter into humans, possess them
or "channel"
their communications
through them If such reports were true it would mean that there is a spiritual realm in which souls or spirits dwell without physical bodies. It might mean that there is also in that realm a supreme being, the creator of souls, the deity.
There are problems with
such reports including :
·
the irrational nature of the explanation of consciousness
·
lack of clear, unambiguous physical evidence
Is
anyone else justified in reaching the conclusion that a supernatural being
exists based upon the report of the individual who has made the claim to
have had such experience? Does the accumulation of reports from such witnesses to such psychic experiences justify the claim that a supernatural or spiritual being, a deity, a transcendent reality , exists? There are also alternative explanations as with religious experiences:
1.
Persons are mistaken, e.g., optical illusion, misinterpretation..
2.
Persons are under the influence of mind altering substances
3.
Persons are suffering from brain malfunctioning, e.g., chemical imbalance
4.
Persons are under the influence of group influence-social psychology
5.
Persons are making a false report to get attention
6.Persons
are making a false report to raise money.
7.Persons
are making a false report to please others and gain acceptance.
8.Persons
are making a false report to get power. To confirm what any subject is experiencing there must be "checkable" statements. Science is proceeding with the study of such phenomena. the field is known as Parapsychology. The scientific community is divided on whether or not there is sufficient evidence to support the claims that the reports are to be accepted as true and accurate and indicative of a non-physical realm of existence.
1.
the reports are too amorphous 2.
they reports are often of spontaneous events that
can not be duplicated under controlled circumstances 3.
reports are not capable of being confirmed as with
perceptual experiences
Thus,
the reports are not capable of verification and their occurrence is not
predictable How accurate are human perceptions and memory of experiences? Not very. Suggested VIDEOS:
MEDIUMS NBC television began broadcasting a hit show titled "Medium" in 2005. Is it a true story? READ: Medium Many people want strongly to believe in a spirit world and deities. They ask questions such as: What about mediums? Don't people like John Edward communicate with the dead? If they do that is evidence of the spirit world and of souls and of a deity as well. So do they do this? Well, John Edward and other mediums have been examined closely and have
failed to produce evidence that is indisputable proof of the existence of
non-physical entities and a spirit world.
Read about how it might be that he does what he appears to do.
Investigative
Files: John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved by Joe
Nickell If one has no had a religious experience how can one reach a conclusion as to whether or not such an experience exists as reported? is truthful? Is accurate? Is sufficient grounds to conclude that there is a supernatural realm? that there is a deity? That there is a supreme being? How can non- believers accept the reports of people who claim to have had such experiences when there are so many alternative explanations for those reports which would provide strong reasons to reject the claim that the reports are truthful and accurate? READ: On GHOSTS Outcome Assessment This argument or proof does not establish the actual existence of a supernatural deity. It attempts to argue for the existence of such a being by offering evidence that is highly questionable and for which there are alternative and often more plausible explanations. While the argument can not be used to convert a non-believer to a believer, the faults in the argument do not prove that there is no god. The Burden of Proof demands that the positive claim that there is a supernatural deity be established by reason and evidence and this argument does not meet that standard. The believer in god can use this argument to establish the mere logical possibility that there is a supernatural deity or at least that it is not irrational to believe in the possibility that there is such a being but the argument does not establish any degree of probability at all when there are alternative explanations for the reports of experiences offered. The veracity of the reports has not been established. OUTCOME: The Argument: Premises 1. Persons claim to experience contact or communication with the dead. Conclusion: There is a realm of the dead or spiritual realm in which there are souls, spirits, and the deity Problem with argument: 1. _X___Premises are false or questionable 2. ____Premises are irrelevant 3. ____Premises Contain the Conclusion –Circular Reasoning 4. ____Premises are inadequate to support the conclusion 5. __X__Alternative arguments exist with equal or greater support This argument or proof has flaws in it and would not convince a rational person to accept its conclusion. This is not because someone who does not believe in a deity will simply refuse to accept based on emotions or past history but because it is not rationally compelling of acceptance of its conclusion.
V.
FINAL QUESTIONS:
Are there reasons to think that the reports of religious experiences are not reliable? Can the reports be accepted as being true? Can they be verified? Do they need to be?
Can reports of religious experiences
be used as support for a belief in a deity, the supernatural realm?
Suggested viewing: Psychology of Belief: Why do people believe what they do without clear evidence or against counter evidence?Psychology of Belief, Part 1: Informational Influence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1A9vrsw6Hw&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 2: Insufficient Justification http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkJc6c3nKMw&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 3: Confirmation Bias http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoCqftOYHX4&feature=fvwrel Psychology of Belief, Part 4: Misinformation Effect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJic51MeVaU&feature=related Psychology of Belief, Part 5: Compliance Techniques http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x19z5Jb_pg&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 6: Hallucinations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwJsNTZFdcU&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 7: Projection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCFLHGNc1wo&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 8: Need for Closure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jHO-7aodbw&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 9: Agenticity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwP9QusSxfc&feature=relmfu Psychology of Belief, Part 10: Summary and Conclusions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09Lou1kv7M&feature=relmfu
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