I'd like to hear from others who feel they have had a religious experience approaching or actually of divine, even supernatural nature.
I would hope for this one, in this subforum, we could suspend the debate, and take a moment to allow as many folks to describe their experience in their words, in their own way.
I personally will not challenge any claim made in this thread, and I'm compelled to consider replies as honest responses to an honest question.
My Religious Experience
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JoeyKnothead
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CatholicDeacon
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Re: My Religious Experience
Post #2Well I ssume that you mean "spiritual" so let me give you one of the many I have expereinced. 4 years ago my mother was very sick, I lived 2000 milles away. One night my sister called me around 1:30 AM to tell me that I better get on the next plane because she had taken a turn for the worst. So I took the first flight that morning. While we were flying over the atlantic, I began to pray for my mon and family. As I had my eyes closed I was presnted with an image of my mother, as a young woman (I knew her in this form from pictures) Behing her I saw someone, I could not see the face, I only knew there was someone with her) At this moment I knew she had passed on and I that never had a chance to say good-by. But I was not sad I was very peaceful becasue I knew that she was finaky at peace. When I arrived and saw my sister I told her that I knew Mon had passed and why and she said that in fact she had while I was on the air. Her passing was a very spiritual experience for me and my family.joeyknuccione wrote:I'd like to hear from others who feel they have had a religious experience approaching or actually of divine, even supernatural nature.
I would hope for this one, in this subforum, we could suspend the debate, and take a moment to allow as many folks to describe their experience in their words, in their own way.
I personally will not challenge any claim made in this thread, and I'm compelled to consider replies as honest responses to an honest question.
Viva Cristo Rey
CatholicDeacon
Post #3
I was going to post a thread about this and then I found this one. For the sake of a tidy forum, I'll post here.
Roughly five years ago I started studying the runes. I had been interested in all manner of occult teachings (several of my friends were wiccans and thelemists at the time) but found a lot of it to be lots of show and little substance.
The runes fascinated me in how well they could be used to symbolize any number of notions, and how useful they were for mind-exercises. Shortly thereafter I discovered Asatru, and so the journey began.
A few months in, I was at a shopping mall waiting to meet a friend of mine, when I was approached by a man. He had a disheveled and ragged appearance, with a long ponytail and long white beard, a wide hat, and only one eye. The presence of the man was indescribable, electric. He sat beside me and we had a long talk about myself, my schooling, and my recent spiritual growth. There was a lot that was understood but never spoken in the conversation that came across in subtext. I became convinced that I had been contacted by Odin himself (a suspicion later confirmed by him, years later, and 800 miles away in Chicago.)
The strangest thing about it was just how normal it seemed at the time. I am not a drug user nor was I. I was stone-cold sober, and this happened in the middle of an otherwise dull, average day.
I've had a few other experiences since, one of which was actually a premonition. But none were so brash and obvious and otherwise unexplainable.
Yes, I realize it could have been some random homeless coot, but he was so coherent, eloquent even, that I can't really say he fit that demographic. Combined with the fact that some other Asatruars have claimed similar experiences with him, there's no longer any doubt in my mind.
Roughly five years ago I started studying the runes. I had been interested in all manner of occult teachings (several of my friends were wiccans and thelemists at the time) but found a lot of it to be lots of show and little substance.
The runes fascinated me in how well they could be used to symbolize any number of notions, and how useful they were for mind-exercises. Shortly thereafter I discovered Asatru, and so the journey began.
A few months in, I was at a shopping mall waiting to meet a friend of mine, when I was approached by a man. He had a disheveled and ragged appearance, with a long ponytail and long white beard, a wide hat, and only one eye. The presence of the man was indescribable, electric. He sat beside me and we had a long talk about myself, my schooling, and my recent spiritual growth. There was a lot that was understood but never spoken in the conversation that came across in subtext. I became convinced that I had been contacted by Odin himself (a suspicion later confirmed by him, years later, and 800 miles away in Chicago.)
The strangest thing about it was just how normal it seemed at the time. I am not a drug user nor was I. I was stone-cold sober, and this happened in the middle of an otherwise dull, average day.
I've had a few other experiences since, one of which was actually a premonition. But none were so brash and obvious and otherwise unexplainable.
Yes, I realize it could have been some random homeless coot, but he was so coherent, eloquent even, that I can't really say he fit that demographic. Combined with the fact that some other Asatruars have claimed similar experiences with him, there's no longer any doubt in my mind.
Post #4
As a young Mormon still in high school one of our duties as an active member was to perform baptisms for the dead. (No, we don't baptize dead bodies. Mormon volunteers get baptized but in the name of someone who has died. The soul can choose to accept or reject the baptism as the beliefs go). The baptisms are performed at a temple and if you've ever seen a Mormon temple they are quite intimidating. When we finally arrived outside the Temple we waited outside the door to the baptism area until they were ready for us to enter. A man finally came and opens the door and our small group shuffles in. Its at this time that upon entering the Mormon temple for the first time that my vision goes black and I suddenly pass out for a few brief seconds. Luckily I didn't collapse I merely fell into someone next to me who held me up. The experience is still quite vivid to me this day.
So what happened? Was God, Jesus, or some other divine being giving me a sign upon entering a sacred temple? Was something trying to tell me something. YES! Something was telling me something! My body was telling me to start getting oxygen to my brain or its going to make me go ragdoll in the middle of a crowd. Most likely I simply passed out from anxiety or the drastic change in humidity that was in the room or some combination of factors. I'll probably never "know" for sure.
I find that a confirmation bias is often at work in "experience" stories. When this happened to me I really didn't know anything about divine experiences or anything of that nature. I didn't confirm or invalidate my beliefs because I didn't think of it as anything special at the time. I wasn't sure what happened. I had never passed out before in my life, but I didn't think anything particularly special of it either. But then again, maybe I did have an experience... but probably not.
How many coincidences, unexplainable happenings, mental abberations and other oddities, anomalies, peculiarities, and singularities are bound to happen in a lifetime? I'd wager a few.
So what happened? Was God, Jesus, or some other divine being giving me a sign upon entering a sacred temple? Was something trying to tell me something. YES! Something was telling me something! My body was telling me to start getting oxygen to my brain or its going to make me go ragdoll in the middle of a crowd. Most likely I simply passed out from anxiety or the drastic change in humidity that was in the room or some combination of factors. I'll probably never "know" for sure.
I find that a confirmation bias is often at work in "experience" stories. When this happened to me I really didn't know anything about divine experiences or anything of that nature. I didn't confirm or invalidate my beliefs because I didn't think of it as anything special at the time. I wasn't sure what happened. I had never passed out before in my life, but I didn't think anything particularly special of it either. But then again, maybe I did have an experience... but probably not.
How many coincidences, unexplainable happenings, mental abberations and other oddities, anomalies, peculiarities, and singularities are bound to happen in a lifetime? I'd wager a few.
Post #5
I have one, and it's weird (to me). I've told it here before, and although I tried to come up with a common explanation for it, nothing offered made any more sense.
When I was 16, I was sitting on the floor in my grandma's living room, working on a Social Studies correspondence course. It was summer (I wasn't finished it because I'm pokey about these things). It was the middle of the day, so I wasn't dreaming. Anyway, I heard what sounded like my grandpa snoring. It sounded just like when he was alive and would sleep in his rocking chair, although it seemed to be coming from the opposite corner, and closer to the ceiling. My first thought was something like, "Oh crap, I'm hearing things," so I called my grandma into the room. We were the only people in the house. She heard it too.
I got suggestions like maybe it was something mechanical, like a fan or something, but my grandma's house is really old and doesn't have fancy things like that. It made me wonder if there's any way that anything can naturally record sounds and play them back somehow. I still don't know what to make of it. Never heard it again.
I also saw my cat once, a week after he died, but it was the middle of the night and I'm willing to admit that it's possible (I suppose some would say certain) that I was dreaming. He jumped on my bed (from a bookshelf by the window), startling my brother's cat, and stared at me until I realized that I looked healthy again. Then he climbed over me and disappeared. My fundie friend opined that it was a demon. Because that's a much more rational explanation than a dream. Although I have to admit, he was a bit of a demon (okay, he was a little psychopathic cat!) in life. But then he turned into a super love bug when he got old.
Those are the best I've got.
When I was 16, I was sitting on the floor in my grandma's living room, working on a Social Studies correspondence course. It was summer (I wasn't finished it because I'm pokey about these things). It was the middle of the day, so I wasn't dreaming. Anyway, I heard what sounded like my grandpa snoring. It sounded just like when he was alive and would sleep in his rocking chair, although it seemed to be coming from the opposite corner, and closer to the ceiling. My first thought was something like, "Oh crap, I'm hearing things," so I called my grandma into the room. We were the only people in the house. She heard it too.
I got suggestions like maybe it was something mechanical, like a fan or something, but my grandma's house is really old and doesn't have fancy things like that. It made me wonder if there's any way that anything can naturally record sounds and play them back somehow. I still don't know what to make of it. Never heard it again.
I also saw my cat once, a week after he died, but it was the middle of the night and I'm willing to admit that it's possible (I suppose some would say certain) that I was dreaming. He jumped on my bed (from a bookshelf by the window), startling my brother's cat, and stared at me until I realized that I looked healthy again. Then he climbed over me and disappeared. My fundie friend opined that it was a demon. Because that's a much more rational explanation than a dream. Although I have to admit, he was a bit of a demon (okay, he was a little psychopathic cat!) in life. But then he turned into a super love bug when he got old.
Those are the best I've got.
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Cathar1950
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Post #6
The mind is an odd thing.
I recall one day as I was shopping I had this idea that God existed and we were all living as if He didn't.
Everywhere I looked I could see God in everything.
Once on a LSD trip, the first and last one some 40 years ago, I thought I was dead and was waiting for God to show up. I kept asking "were is God?"
It dawned on me that I could no longer claim to be an atheist because deep down inside of my little brain I STILL BELIEVED.
Granted my beliefs was largely a result of up bringing and indoctrination but I got to that much latter.
One day after my sister had died my brother and I were sitting in the kitchen
and I felt a presence, just like I did shopping, I was feeling odd when my brother says "Do you feel that"?
I said yes and he thought it was a demon.
Now that I look back it might have been my sister or God or even a suggestion.
Once I had a dream that I was in the bathroom with Jesus and he was using the toilet and sitting there all gloom and depressed. I was leaning on the sink and for some reason I was his best friend and Judas. I was worried about him. I tried to cheer him up and O had a great idea, maybe Pilot could get him off the hook.
The next thing I see is an old folks home as the scene moved to a commercial and the announcer saying "we will return in a moment to the greatest tragedy in history...
I recall one day as I was shopping I had this idea that God existed and we were all living as if He didn't.
Everywhere I looked I could see God in everything.
Once on a LSD trip, the first and last one some 40 years ago, I thought I was dead and was waiting for God to show up. I kept asking "were is God?"
It dawned on me that I could no longer claim to be an atheist because deep down inside of my little brain I STILL BELIEVED.
Granted my beliefs was largely a result of up bringing and indoctrination but I got to that much latter.
One day after my sister had died my brother and I were sitting in the kitchen
and I felt a presence, just like I did shopping, I was feeling odd when my brother says "Do you feel that"?
I said yes and he thought it was a demon.
Now that I look back it might have been my sister or God or even a suggestion.
Once I had a dream that I was in the bathroom with Jesus and he was using the toilet and sitting there all gloom and depressed. I was leaning on the sink and for some reason I was his best friend and Judas. I was worried about him. I tried to cheer him up and O had a great idea, maybe Pilot could get him off the hook.
The next thing I see is an old folks home as the scene moved to a commercial and the announcer saying "we will return in a moment to the greatest tragedy in history...
Post #7
My experiences of "God" have varied in intensity but are all generally the same. Mainly it is as if every atom in the universe is vibrating with a profound and overwhelming love. It is palpable in the air around me as if I could actually touch it or taste it. In my most intense experiences, boundaries between "I" and everything else "out there" tend to ease and even disappear with a sense of total connectedness to all that is and an overwhelming sense of unity and oneness.
This has never granted me any special knowledge or answered prayers or psychic experiences. It has made me more aware of my connection to everything and made me a more loving and compassionate person.
This has never granted me any special knowledge or answered prayers or psychic experiences. It has made me more aware of my connection to everything and made me a more loving and compassionate person.
