Religious Experience

[Stevil]

I am interested to know what a religious experience is.

Who on this forum has had one?
What was it like?
Did it give you any insights to your religion or to a different religion?
How detailed was the experience?
How do you know you can trust it, e.g. know what the source was, know that it wasn't deceptive, know that it came from a particular god or a particular faith?
Was it about something else other than a god?
Does anyone these days have a religious experience entailing the Greek gods? Zeus, Athena etc?
Did it make you convert?
Do you still think about it?

How common are these? Does everyone at your church have one or do only a special few?
How many religious experiences do individual people have?
Do these become more frequent the higher up the religious hierarchy you become?
Have these always been common events or have these become more popular?
Are these confined to one religion or do all religions have them?
Is there peer pressure to have one?
Do you know if people lie about having one so that they feel special within the group or so that they don't feel they are the only one missing out?

[LegendarySandwich]

Hell if I know. I never had one, and I probably never will. I think that's due to my brain not as willing to make up bullshit.

[Tank]

Nothing here.

Although I have witnessed some very extreme human psychological behaviour that could be classify as 'out of body' type stuff. I can confirm it's almost always with people who are very sensitive to their own 'self' and can become incredibly 'inward looking' and divorced from their body fuelled by endorphins and other manipulations of brain chemistry.

Some people have the ability to manipulate perceptions of reality through extreme physicality and go to a 'place' within themselves which is not normally accessible to them. Some do it via meditation some via other routes. It is odd to witness a person 'disappear' into a different realm of consciousness.

[LegendarySandwich]

Nothing here.

Although I have witnessed some very extreme human psychological behaviour that could be classify as 'out of body' type stuff. I can confirm it's almost always with people who are very sensitive to their own 'self' and can become incredibly 'inward looking' and divorced from their body fuelled by endorphins and other manipulations of brain chemistry.

Some people have the ability to manipulate perceptions of reality through extreme physicality and go to a 'place' within themselves which is not normally accessible to them. Some do it via meditation some via other routes. It is odd to witness a person 'disappear' into a different realm of consciousness.

Sounds fun. Maybe I should try to do that. Meditating might work.

[Stevil]

It is odd to witness a person 'disappear' into a different realm of consciousness.

What did it look like? Was the person just staring at nothing, or were they making noises, speaking or shaking or other?

[Tank]

It is odd to witness a person 'disappear' into a different realm of consciousness.

What did it look like? Was the person just staring at nothing, or were they making noises, speaking or shaking or other?

It varies from person to person. Some just go distant and their eyes glaze over. Others can make noises. Others get quite scared and very upset, crying sometimes as they are scared they can't get back into themselves. Some cry when they come back, some are just serene and need to be looked after for a few minutes while they come around from the experience.

[Tank]

Nothing here.

Although I have witnessed some very extreme human psychological behaviour that could be classify as 'out of body' type stuff. I can confirm it's almost always with people who are very sensitive to their own 'self' and can become incredibly 'inward looking' and divorced from their body fuelled by endorphins and other manipulations of brain chemistry.

Some people have the ability to manipulate perceptions of reality through extreme physicality and go to a 'place' within themselves which is not normally accessible to them. Some do it via meditation some via other routes. It is odd to witness a person 'disappear' into a different realm of consciousness.

Sounds fun. Maybe I should try to do that. Meditating might work.

Hunting Tigers is supposed to fun, but you wouldn't catch me doing it without an experienced guide.

[Stevil]

It varies from person to person. Some just go distant and their eyes glaze over. Others can make noises. Others get quite scared and very upset, crying sometimes as they are scared they can't get back into themselves. Some cry when they come back, some are just serene and need to be looked after for a few minutes while they come around from the experience.

That would be surreal. How come you have witnessed so many? Your meditation instructor must be very good???

[Tank]

It varies from person to person. Some just go distant and their eyes glaze over. Others can make noises. Others get quite scared and very upset, crying sometimes as they are scared they can't get back into themselves. Some cry when they come back, some are just serene and need to be looked after for a few minutes while they come around from the experience.

That would be surreal. How come you have witnessed so many? Your meditation instructor must be very good???

I was involved in that sort of thing for a few years. Due to the fact that we have minors on the forum I'm not going to go into details in case it give people ideas that they may come to regret.

[LegendarySandwich]

It varies from person to person. Some just go distant and their eyes glaze over. Others can make noises. Others get quite scared and very upset, crying sometimes as they are scared they can't get back into themselves. Some cry when they come back, some are just serene and need to be looked after for a few minutes while they come around from the experience.

That would be surreal. How come you have witnessed so many? Your meditation instructor must be very good???

I was involved in that sort of thing for a few years. Due to the fact that we have minors on the forum I'm not going to go into details in case it give people ideas that they may come to regret.

Ell oh ell.

[periwinklefish]

hypnotism?

[Tank]

It's the interpretation of the 'altered state' that's at the root of the issue. The altered state may be hypnotically induced or using a mind altering substance, meditation, whatever. But in a superstitious environment the motivations are often to attribute the effects to external forces such as spirits, jinn or gods of some sort.

[DJAkuma]

I once ate the remains of a flying spaghetti monster... it was good.

[Asmodean]

Who on this forum has had one?

No idea.

How do you know you can trust it, e.g. know what the source was, know that it wasn't deceptive, know that it came from a particular god or a particular faith?

Those who hear voices in their head tend to describe them as seeming real. I don't think it's about knowing, but intuition. Such experiences and their proposed sources can be intuitively obvious to the one experiencing them.

Did it make you convert?

I suppose it would convert some... Me, I'd just start taking pills.

[Tank]

Who on this forum has had one?

No idea.

How do you know you can trust it, e.g. know what the source was, know that it wasn't deceptive, know that it came from a particular god or a particular faith?

Those who hear voices in their head tend to describe them as seeming real. I don't think it's about knowing, but intuition. Such experiences and their proposed sources can be intuitively obvious to the one experiencing them.

Did it make you convert?

I suppose it would convert some... Me, I'd just start taking pills.

Or possibly stop?