13
votes
Accepted
How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or other mundane psychological phenomena?
I have to provide a sort of common-sense answer to a question like this because I am not aware of a trend of people having hallucinations with respect to spiritual experiences that have resulted in ...
- 31.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Where in the Pentateuch does it indicate that it's better to sin against God than against your spiritual director?
I suspect that John Climacus has Exodus 32 in mind:1
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the ...
- 42.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Is Meister Eckhart's teaching condemned by the Roman Catholic Church?
John Hardon, S.J.'s Catholic Dictionary says this in the entry for "Eckhart":
General name for the spiritual teaching of Meister Eckhart (1260-1327), the German Dominican mystic and of his ...
- 38.5k
6
votes
Do any Christian groups or denominations teach reliable methods for scientifically minded individuals to seek and find God?
The "proof" of God's existence is that anything exists at all. I understand that there are many refutations of the ontological argument and that this will not satisfy the purely scientific ...
- 14.7k
6
votes
How do Latter-day Saints rebut GM Skeptic's objection against the epistemic value of personal spiritual experiences?
On GM Skeptic's main argument seems to be that religious experiences are simply the result of brain activity under special circumstances
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that ...
- 8,697
6
votes
Accepted
Are there other Christian authors besides WLC who believe that all Christians have access to a direct, self-authenticating experience of God?
Here is a well known Christian author who is certainly not on the fringes of Christian thought:
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God ...
- 14.7k
6
votes
To what extent are Christians encouraged to make conscious efforts to "experience" God as "real"?
The Christian experience (I speak of Protestant, Trinitarianism - which is my own, personal experience) begins with the conviction of one's own sinfulness, spiritual destitution and desperate need of ...
- 23.6k
5
votes
Accepted
Is the book "The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley" a legitimate collection of Wesley's journal entries?
Yes, it appears to be a legitimate compilation from the writings of John Wesley. I haven't confirmed all of the many stories in Jennings' book, but I selected several and found them corroborated in ...
- 42.3k
5
votes
Accepted
How do Christians approach the evangelization of individuals who have had profound spiritual experiences in other religions?
Spiritual experience and interpretation
As we can see in the Wikipedia article for religious experience, the same experience can be interpreted differently depending on the framework used, whether it ...
- 22.2k
5
votes
How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or other mundane psychological phenomena?
A Christian who is suffering from an hallucination which they take to be a genuine spiritual experience will never discern it to be false, at the time. But once soundness of mind returns to them, then ...
- 27k
5
votes
Accepted
According to Trinitarians, can the personhood of the Holy Spirit be confirmed through personal experience?
Intellectual assent and personal experience with regard to the 'personhood' of the Holy Spirit are strange ways to attempt to get Trinitarians responding. Perhaps that's why you have received lots of ...
- 27k
5
votes
Accepted
How does the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in Christians, as opposed to non-Christians who don't have access to this power?
This seems to be a variety of a question often asked by atheists, "What is a good thing that only people who believe in God can do?"
Although not without its own legitimate purpose, I think ...
- 1,666
5
votes
Accepted
How do Latter-day Saints rebut GM Skeptic's objection against the epistemic value of personal spiritual experiences?
Logical fallacies
This argument commits:
Circular reasoning--personal experience is used as a premise to argue for a conclusion about the validity of personal experience
Self-refutation--personal ...
- 11.2k
5
votes
What is an overview for how protestants tend to regard progress in the spiritual life?
All believers should abide by Peter's exhortation and give earnest diligence toward the development of spiritual qualities:
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain ...
- 14.7k
5
votes
What is the biblical counter-argument to the expression "the Universe provides"?
To treat of the creation as if it was a person capable of communication and able to answer a request for provision is idolatry :
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the ...
- 23.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Are spiritual pleasures > carnal pleasures, according to Catholicism?
Spiritual pleasures ⋙ carnal pleasures.
Yes, intellectual and especially spiritual pleasures are greater than carnal/sexual/bodily/sense pleasures, St. Thomas shows in Ia IIae, q.31, a.5. This ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Are there any Christian groups or denominations that teach how to discern between Godly, demonic and psychological experiences?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints have teachings for this, though not with the phrasing demonic generally.
When you believe an angel is visiting you D&C 129 offers guidance and you ...
- 8,697
4
votes
Do all believers receive the Holy Spirit at conversion but only a few are filled with the Holy Spirit post conversion?
To answer this question I will examine the following verses - most of which were quoted by the OP.
Eph 1:13, 4:30 - And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your ...
- 819
4
votes
How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or other mundane psychological phenomena?
The entirety of the book of Job (1) is an account of a man who, though a perfect man among his peers, and in regard to his own conscience, yet was deeply exercised within himself and feared one thing ...
- 23.6k
4
votes
Accepted
How do Christians who emphasize the "religion vs. relationship" dichotomy respond to claims of "relationship with God" in other religions?
A basic premise of Christianity is that an evil one tempted through deception; the first woman fell for it, her husband chose to go along with her, and thus the evil of sin and deception began to grow ...
- 27k
4
votes
What is the biblical counter-argument to the expression "the Universe provides"?
You could start with "Evey good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" James ch1 v17, ...
- 1,677
4
votes
What is the biblical counter-argument to the expression "the Universe provides"?
The Lillies of the Field (Luke 12:22-31; Matthew 6:24-34, KJV)
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ...
- 3,814
4
votes
Accepted
What is the biblical counter-argument to the expression "the Universe provides"?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? - Matthew 6:26
We do not know for ...
- 14.7k
4
votes
How can non-believers, who cannot perceive nor understand the things of the Spirit, overcome their spiritual blindness?
The first step in true religion is that required by John the Baptist - he that hath two coats, give to him that hath none and likewise with meat, Luke 3:11.
If one does not love one's neighbour whom ...
- 23.6k
3
votes
War between the ‘inner being’ and the ‘fleshly nature’
Sanctify means to set apart, declare holy, consecrate, purify, and to separate from sin.
1 John 2:15-17,
"15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the ...
- 1,031
3
votes
Is there any protestant method how to deal spiritual dryness?
Yes, and I just give one example here, followed by a few comments of my own. The author of this book is a Protestant, and so am I (but we would not classify ourselves as in the 'evangelical' or '...
- 27k
3
votes
Is there any protestant method how to deal spiritual dryness?
While it's not the exclusive subject of the Screwtape Letters, it is one of the topics C.S. Lewis touches on in it:
Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than
when a human, ...
- 720
3
votes
How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or other mundane psychological phenomena?
"How do Christians make sure this is not the case? How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or 'mind tricks' in general?"
The same way believers in every ...
- 31
3
votes
How do Christians who emphasize the "religion vs. relationship" dichotomy respond to claims of "relationship with God" in other religions?
What makes the Christian relationship with God special and unique?
Only Christianity understands God as Trinity. A short answer is that Christian relationship with God is participating in the ...
- 22.2k
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