Phenomenology of Religion
The study of the structure and essence of religious experience—the sacred, the numinous, and the holy.
The Numinous
Rudolf Otto's analysis of religious experience. The numinous is the non-rational core of religion—the experience of the holy.
Otto described the numinous as mysterium tremendum et fascinans—overwhelming mystery that both terrifies and attracts. This is the experience of the 'wholly other'—radically different from ordinary experience.
- Mysterium Tremendum: The overwhelming mystery that evokes awe and fear. Isaiah in the temple: 'Woe is me! I am undone!'
- Fascinans: The attractive, fascinating quality that draws us toward the holy. We are drawn to what we fear; we desire what overwhelms us.
- Wholly Other: The sacred is radically different from ordinary experience. God is not a bigger version of us but qualitatively different.
- Creature-Feeling: The sense of being a creature before the Creator. Humility, dependence, smallness before the Infinite.
Implications
What does religious experience tell us? Is it merely psychological projection, or does it reveal something real?
The universality and consistency of religious experience suggests it is veridical—it reveals something true about reality. The sensus divinitatis is a genuine cognitive faculty, not a malfunction.
- Sui Generis: Religious experience is irreducible—not merely psychological or social. It cannot be explained away by neuroscience or sociology.
- Universal Structure: The structure of religious experience is remarkably consistent across cultures. This suggests a common object, not just common psychology.
- Veridical?: Does religious experience reveal something real? The principle of credulity: experiences are innocent until proven guilty.
- Argument from Religious Experience: Swinburne: the widespread experience of God is evidence for God's existence. Millions of people across cultures have encountered the divine.