The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human NatureJames, William
ReligionComparative
The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature
James, William
Conversion; Experience (Religion); Philosophy and religion; Psychology, Religious; Religion
make manifest his “glory” in which our great‐grandfathers took such
satisfaction, though just how we know this we cannot possibly make clear
by words either to others or to ourselves. I defy any of you here fully to
account for your persuasion that if a God exist he must be a more cosmic
and tragic personage than that Being.
The truth is that in the metaphysical and religious sphere, articulate
reasons are cogent for us only when our inarticulate feelings of reality
have already been impressed in favor of the same conclusion. Then, indeed,
our intuitions and our reason work together, and great world‐ruling
systems, like that of the Buddhist or of the Catholic philosophy, may grow
up. Our impulsive belief is here always what sets up the original body of
truth, and our articulately verbalized philosophy is but its showy
translation into formulas. The unreasoned and immediate assurance is the
deep thing in us, the reasoned argument is but a surface exhibition.
Instinct leads, intelligence does but follow. If a person feels the
presence of a living God after the fashion shown by my quotations, your
critical arguments, be they never so superior, will vainly set themselves
to change his faith.
Please observe, however, that I do not yet say that it is _better_ that
the subconscious and non‐rational should thus hold primacy in the
religious realm. I confine myself to simply pointing out that they do so
hold it as a matter of fact.
So much for our sense of the reality of the religious objects. Let me now
say a brief word more about the attitudes they characteristically awaken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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