Arguement Against Religous Experience

[kharkusingh1996]

I wonder if someone who has doubts about the existence of God, or a good old non-theist has ever had a spiritual experience that can't be explained away as the mind playing tricks or things of that nature? Or do only those who "believe" have such experiences? In that case do we "will" such experiences into existence? Or is there a deeper, karmic-based reason that you're more likely to such have experiences if you're open to that frequency of thought?

Same thinking as me, I believe that there are Truth seekers moreover agnostics you can say but who are iffy on their beliefs but might of have a spiritual experience without really following a specific way of life and later lead a religious life due to their own personal experience can be proof of something really happened to them To be honest, in the world today, people will make up stories here and there but those who do experience such things should keep it to themselves for their own sake and relationship with the Divine

It really varies from person to person. Karma too plays a huge role from your previous lives in your present in connecting with the Divine For example Bhai Rama Singh from UK who wrote a book about coming into Sikhi from a Hindu background explained because of him being in Guru Gobind Singh's fauj and being a granthi his previous lives he reaped a lot of good and for him but it still took time for him to come into Sikhi during his life though. He started to connect with the Divine at a young age and was kind of a Truth seeker like we see a lot today. So in the end i would say it varies from person to person.

[buddasingh]

...OR everything else describable is actually nonsense.

Having said that, if one makes a claim of a spiritual experience, i am not concerned to determine whether they actually had a spiritual, neurological, psychiatric or some other pathological experience.

To me if they are actively living the experience of naam japna, kirat karo, vand chakko, they are living and having a spiritual experience.

Awareness of Waheguru is something to give, not something to receive.

[Not2Cool2Argue]

To OP: that's why Sikhi doesn't advocate 'believing' but experiencing. You have heard basics of Sikhi it seems and Jugraj Singh is always saying that. Most people who have this experience try to lead others to it like Eduardo was saying. Cuz it's hard to describe. So ya, we shouldn't just believe claims of religious experiences and in fact believing might not be the right thing to do.

[Balkaar]

I think one should be wary of claims to such experiences, and ought to take them with a very large pinch of salt.

Experiences don't really prove anything. They are too subjective. People have had all sorts of experiences about all manner of crazy things. Some serial killers, for instance, are utterly convinced that they received divine revelations in which God instructed them to massacre children, in much the same way as people who claim God told them to do good works consider themselves to have been subjects of divine visitations. Could someone please explain to me why the serial killer's religious 'experience' is considered less plausible than anyone elses, when to criticise the other one would considered to be in poor taste?I personally choose not to believe either of them.

I think it takes some nerve for a Sikh to claim that God somehow communicated with them, as some so called Brahmgianis and unstable bazurgs like my Nani do, when not even our Guru Sahibaan claimed such a thing to have happened to themselves. ,

[eduardo]

Could someone please explain to me why the serial killer's religious 'experience' is considered less plausible than anyone elses.

Well if your religion states that it is wrong to kill people and you have a message from God saying kill people then your experience is not a religious one.

Or maybe it is because a Christian would say those voices telling you to kill are the voice of Satan and his hellish hordes trying to encourage you to spread fear

and chaos on the earth thus creating a kingdom for him to rule.

Satan dwells in the dark places and shadows looking for an easy and susceptible mind to creep into to tempt you away from the true path and bring turmoil to Gods creation.

A spiritual experience I don't know, I mean what is the definition of spirit or spiritual anyway?

[fatimah]

Is it ok to read English translations of Guru Granth Sahib ?

[Kira]

Is it ok to read English translations of Guru Granth Sahib ?

Yes it's perfectly fine but you are warned that some aspects and principles are deeper understood with proper Gurmukhi.

[luckysingh99]

then it wouldn't be an ''experience''

[SheikhYoBooty]

Sorry to intrude on an intellectual discussion peeps.

But just to let everybody know that fatimah is a male muslim troll.

The male muslim troll called fatimah is using an image taken from google as his "female pic" lol

[NSandhu7]

Interesting post