[July 2000 journal entry]
It seems to me the experiences claimed within the ‘religious’ sphere (e.g., “personal relationship with God”, “knowing God”, “the Lord led me”, . . .) make numerous assumptions that are not (and cannot be) validated/established (e.g., the canon, the implied view of ‘God’, the resulting interpretations of life events, . . .). In other words, it is as if the claimant is saying, “If you grant with me that . . . , then my claim is credible and the experience was real/actual.” By analogy, consider the movie Harvey. Those around Elwood P. Dowd begin to wonder if there is a six-foot rabbit named Harvey and eventually begin to try/long to think so. However, Elwood is convinced he sees and is talking to Harvey. The experience claims made within the ‘religious’ sphere are different from the anchoring assumption upon which my approach to a ‘non-religious’ ethics and spirituality is based – i.e., the ‘more’ about being human.
It seems to me the experiences claimed within the ‘religious’ sphere (e.g., “personal relationship with God”, “knowing God”, “the Lord led me”, . . .) make numerous assumptions that are not (and cannot be) validated/established (e.g., the canon, the implied view of ‘God’, the resulting interpretations of life events, . . .). In other words, it is as if the claimant is saying, “If you grant with me that . . . , then my claim is credible and the experience was real/actual.” By analogy, consider the movie Harvey. Those around Elwood P. Dowd begin to wonder if there is a six-foot rabbit named Harvey and eventually begin to try/long to think so. However, Elwood is convinced he sees and is talking to Harvey. The experience claims made within the ‘religious’ sphere are different from the anchoring assumption upon which my approach to a ‘non-religious’ ethics and spirituality is based – i.e., the ‘more’ about being human.