The Varieties of Religious ExperienceFirst published in 1905, The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 and 1902. William James was a psychologist, and as such, his interest in religion was not that of a theologian but of a scientist. In these twenty lectures, he discusses the nature and origin of religious belief. The average believer is one who has inherited his religion, but this will not do for James's inquiry. He must find those believers who have a voracious religious faith, because these people have also often experienced a number of peculiar psychological episodes, including having visions, hearing voices, and falling into trances. Students of psychology and those interested in the mental process of belief will find these lectures informative. American psychologist and philosopher WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910), brother of novelist Henry James, was a groundbreaking researcher at Harvard University and one of the most popular thinkers of the 19th century. Among his many works are Principles of Psychology (1890) and Human Immortality (1898). |
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abridged absolute anhedonia appear asceticism aseity attitude become believe Buddhist called character Christ Christian Christian mysticism church confess consciousness conversion deity divine effects emotion eternal evil example excitement existence expression fact faith fear feeling felt George Fox Gifford Lectures give God's happiness healthy-minded heart heaven Henry Alline higher Holy human ideal ideas impulses individual infinite inner intellectual J. A. Symonds kind lecture live Lord matter means melancholy mental mind mind-cure monistic moral mystical nature never objects one's ourselves over-belief pantheistic phenomena philosophy possession practical pray prayer present Protestantism psychological Psychology of Religion pure question reality religion religious experience revelation Saint saintly seems sense sentiment sort soul speak spiritual Starbuck subconscious subliminal suffering Sufis Sufism thee theism theology things thou thought transcendental idealism transcendentalist true truth universe whole words writes
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Page 38 - Religion, therefore, as I now ask you arbitrarily to take it, shall mean for us the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine.