Non-monotheistic Indian traditions like Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta find the highest Good in nirvana or moksha which leads to release from suffering and the rounds of rebirth and morality is a means to achieve this, while for monotheistic traditions, God is the source or ground of all morality and heaven in the highest human good. Many constants of nature appear to be very finely tuned for this, and the odds against this happening by chance are astronomical. In his study of Wicca, the Pagan studies scholar Ethan Doyle White expressed the view that the category of “nature religion” was problematic from a “historical perspective” because it solely emphasises the “commonalities of belief and attitude to the natural world” that are found between different religions and in doing so divorces these different belief systems from their distinctive socio-cultural and historical backgrounds. The Resurrection of Jesus and the Miracles of Muhammad are examples of miracles claimed by religions. Naturalistic explanations for religious experiences are often seen as undermining their epistemic value. One could have “subject/content” experiences (such as a euphoric meditative state) and “subject/consciousness/object” experiences (such as the perception of having seen a god, i.e. theophany). But in Matthew, Jesus blesses “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Hungering for righteousness is not the same as hungering for bread, so which one is right?

Instead, the prefix will be applied to the spells as well along with the advantage. A world without the study of disease, germs, medicine, medical procedure, a world where the common cold could very well kill you; a world where natural occurrences are both terrifying and unexplainable to a species that demand explanation. Another debate on this topic is whether all religious cultures share common core mystical experiences (Perennialism) or whether these experiences are in some way socially and culturally constructed (Constructivism or Contextualism). Secondly, Rowe argues that Hume overestimates “the weight that should be given to past experience in support of some principle thought to be a law of nature.” For it is a common occurrence that currently accepted ideas of natural laws are revised due to an observed exception but Hume’s argument would lead one to conclude that these exceptions do not occur. Mystical experiences in which one senses one’s own union with a divine presence. The extrovertive way looks outward through the senses into the world around us and finds the divine reality there.

The introvertive way turns inward and finds the divine reality in the deepest part of the self. According to C. B. Martin, “there are no tests agreed upon to establish genuine experience of God and distinguish it decisively from the ungenuine”, and therefore all that religious experiences can establish is the reality of these psychological states. Wittgensteinian fideism meanwhile sees religious language games as being incommensurate with scientific and metaphysical language games, and that they are autonomous and thus may only be judged on their own standards. William James meanwhile takes a middle course between accepting mystical experiences as veridical or seeing them as delusional. Mystical experiences, which can be described using William James qualifications as being: ineffable, noetic, transient and passive. In Western thought, religious experience (mainly a theistic one) has been described by the likes of Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolf Otto and William James. Broad, “one might need to be slightly ‘cracked'” or at least appear to be mentally and physically abnormal in order to perceive the supranormal spiritual world. The hidden assumption in Russell’s argument is that bodily and mental states that interfere with reliable perceptions of the physical world also interfere with reliable perceptions of a spiritual world beyond the physical, if there is such a spiritual world to be perceived.

According to Rowe, there are two weaknesses with Hume’s argument. Whether or not you believe that these two brothers ever existed, the morality tale of Cain and Abel is a foundational myth of Western culture. Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand? One could interpret these experiences either veridically, neutrally or as delusions. These personal experiences tend to be highly important to individuals who undergo them. These items often serve as personal adornments that symbolize eternal life or loyalty, embodying the continuity and the unbroken lineage of the Celtic tradition. Some require things like your email address for verification purposes or a copy of your driver’s license or other state ID to prove your identity, although having to send them more personal information may be disquieting. However, he argues that we cannot deduce from the fact that our experiences are sometimes mistaken, hallucinations or distorted to the conclusion that all religious experiences are mistaken etc. Indeed, a drunken or hallucinating person could still perceive things correctly, therefore these objections cannot be said to necessarily disprove all religious experiences. However, it’s essential to recognize that not all traditions are universally beneficial.