Taz asked:

How convincing are religious experiences in a secular age as a mean of justifying religious belief

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Religious experiences are very personal events, hence, to convince others of such experiences is a
very difficult task. It is, of course, easier to convince 'believers' than those set against such
phenomena. In a secular society where the understanding is that the materialist views of science do
not cater for spiritual revelation, religious experiences are usually taken to be hallucinations. Physical
manifestation are usually judged to be coincidences, or at best interesting events which will
eventually submit to scientific investigation, and prove to be 'natural' occurrences.

Justification of religious belief is best backed up by logical argument. Empirical proof, so far as I
understand, is extremely hard to come by. In a secular societybelieversare usually linked with
superstition, and exaggeration of their experiences. On the other hand secular views themselves are
open to dispute, and just as believers usually find it difficult to prove religious experience, so
opponents have an equal difficulty in refuting the claim.

John Brandon

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