Experience of God and the Rationality of Theistic Belief (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion)

Jerome I. Gellman observes that the mystic experience of God's presence, a sense of having direct contact with the divine, often compels belief in God's existence. On the basis of widely accepted principles connecting appearance with reality, Gellman contends, the claims people make of having experienced God show that belief in God is strongly rational, meaning that such claims are sufficient in number and variety to support a line of reasoning making it rational to believe that God exists and irrational to deny God's existence. Gellman considers challenges to his thinking based on epistemological grounds and challenges growing out of the diversity of religious experiences across the range of world religions. He thoroughly evaluates reductionist explanations of apparent experiences of God and finds them incapable of invalidating his view. Finally, he directs his attention to the two most compelling arguments against the existence of God: the charge that the idea of a perfect being is logically incoherent, and the threat to theism based on the existence of evil, in both its logical and probabilistic forms. Until and unless stronger objections come along, he concludes, personal experiences of God constitute sufficient evidence of God's existence. What Is It To Experience Union With God? In This Highly Original And Accessible Book, One Of Our Leading Philosophers Of Religion Seeks To Answer This Question By Analyzing The Several States Of Mystic Union As They Are Described And Explained In The Classical Primary Literature Of The Christian Mystical Tradition.--book Jacket. In Mystic Union, Nelson Pike Is Concerned With The Prayer Of Quiet, The Prayer Of Union, And Rapture--the Three Distinct States Of Infused Contemplation In Which The Mystic Is Said To Experience Union With God. In His First Four Chapters Pike Focuses On The Metaphorical Descriptions Of These States Found In The Writings Of Such Great Christian Mystics As Teresa Of Avila, John Of The Cross, Bernard Of Clairvaux, And Angela Of Foligno. In The Balance Of The Book He Assumes A More Critical Posture In Order To Develop A Phenomenological Account That Fits The Verbal Pictures Of Union Provided In The Primary Mystical Texts. Along The Way The Author Engages Several Of The More Important Theses That Have Been Advanced In The Contemporary Philosophical Literature On Mystic Union.--book Jacket. Pike's Book Deepens Our Understanding Of The Powerful Message Of The Classical Christian Mystics And Makes A Major Contribution To Current Debates On The Nature Of Religious Experience. It Will Be Welcomed By Both Scholars And General Readers Interested In The Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Religion, The Psychology Of Religion, And Christian Spirituality.--book Jacket. 4. God As Lover And Mother -- 5. Walter Stace On Union With God -- Supplementary Study 1: R.c. Zaehner On Theistic Mystical Experience. -- Supplementary Study 2: Steven Katz On Christian Mysticism. -- Supplementary Study 3: Walter Stace On The Metaphysics Of Union Without Distinction. Nelson Pike. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [215]-217) And Index. Jerome I. Gellman observes that the mystic experience of God's presence, a sense of having direct contact with the divine, often compels belief in God's existence. On the basis of widely accepted principles connecting appearance with reality, Gellman contends, the claims people make of having experienced God show that belief in God is strongly rational. Such claims are sufficient in number and variety to support a line of reasoning making it rational to believe that God exists and irrational to deny God's existence. Gellman considers challenges to his thinking based on epistemological grounds as well as challenges growing out of the diversity of religious experiences across the range of world religions. He thoroughly evaluates reductionist explanations of apparent experiences of God and finds them incapable of invalidating his view. Finally, he directs his attention to the two most compelling arguments against the existence of God: the charge that the idea of a perfect being is logically incoherent, and the threat to theism based on the existence of evil, in both its logical and probabilistic forms. Until and unless stronger objections come along, he concludes, personal experiences of God constitute sufficient evidence of God's existence. In a book that will appeal to a general audience as well as philosophers of religion, a leading metaphysician tackles fundamental theological problems in a lucid and engaging manner. Peter van Inwagen begins with a provocative new introduction exploring the question of whether a philosopher such as himself is qualified to address theological matters. The chapters that follow take up the central problem of evil in a world created and sustained by God.