Religious Experiences Quiz

According to the text, religious experiences are similar to perception because:

• They are based on sensory information like sight and hearing.

• They are experiences where one is immediately aware of something other than oneself.

• They require thinking about God or trying to imagine God's nature.

• They are always connected to analytical procedures of sense perception.

What does William James suggest is the 'common core' to all genuine religious experiences?

• They all involve a mystical union.

• They are all based on visible, sensory experiences.

• They all include an immediate awareness of and connection to God.

• They all transcend sense perceptions and don't have sensory content.

Which of the following best explains the term 'veridical' as used in the context of the text?

• Experiences that are not based on actual events.

• Experiences that are doubted to be accurate.

• Experiences that are considered to be true or accurate.

• Experiences that are common to very different people.

What is one of the philosophical problems mentioned in the text regarding religious experiences?

• They cannot be proven to be veridical.

• They are too similar to ordinary perceptual experiences.

• They give us knowledge of God.

• They might have an alternative explanation.

According to the text, how does our awareness of the 'unseen' in a religious experience differ from our awareness of the 'visible world'?

• It is always articulate and can be easily described.

• It is inarticulate, beyond an ability to think in any usual terms about it.

• It is based on sensory perceptions like the visible world.

• It is less immediate and less connected to God.

According to James, how many main characteristics should we understand religious experiences in relation to?

• Three

• Four

• Five

• Six

What is NOT one of the characteristics of a religious attitude as described by James?

• A feeling of peace

• A zest which adds itself like a gift to life

• A sense of safety

• A visible connection to the material world

What does James argue is a consequence of religious experiences?

• They prove the existence of God

• They have no real effects upon us

• They are connected to an awareness of being in touch with something 'more'

• They are solely a psychological phenomenon

Why does James think we should not consider religious experiences as solely psychological events?

• Because they are not interesting psychologically

• Because they show that 'God is real since he produces real effects'

• Because they are common to all people

• Because they are identical to sense perception

According to the text, why is religious experience not like perception?

• Religious experiences are not universal and are not continuously present

• Religious experiences are always veridical

• Religious experiences provide a rich amount of detail and information

• Religious experiences are more informative than sense experiences