Religious studies have reached new milestones with the advent of great philosophical and realistic experiences and today newer arenas of religious understanding are given primary importance. On this basis do we identify the relevance of religious studies as they deal with real-life human experience in relation to the development of religious belief. It is an obvious fact that from time immemorial humanity felt insecure towards the powers that outstood their own and thus the religious beliefs came into existence. Therefore, it is most significant to understand the development of religious beliefs and, of course, the religions as such in relation to the human experience.
When the beliefs of any world religion are analyzed, we come to understand this essential nature of human experience which creates the very foundations of the religious philosophies. “Religion is a worldwide phenomenon that has played a part in all human culture and so is a much broader, more complex category than the set of beliefs or practices found in any single religious tradition… In all cultures, human beings make a practice of interacting with what are taken to be spiritual powers. These powers may be in the form of gods, spirits, ancestors, or any kind of sacred reality, with which humans believe themselves to be connected.” (Introduction, Religion) Thus, we recognize the essential relationship between human experience and religious beliefs and in this paper, this essential relation between human experience and religious beliefs and the role of the former in the development of the latter is exposed.
Modern religious studies give paramount importance to the investigation of the essential relationship between human experience and religious beliefs in the wider perspective of different religions. It is, therefore, possible to compare the various religious traditions and their beliefs in relation to how they were formulated by human experiences. In an analysis of the development of religious beliefs, the contribution of the human experience becomes most significant. It is every human being’s personal experience that leads him or her to the individual beliefs and practices in a specific religious tradition. That is to say, religious beliefs are partly personal and partly social in nature, and in both cases, human experiences, either personal or social, contribute essentially to the diverse religious beliefs and ideologies. The specific human experiences in different life situations, especially in trying situations, ultimately result in religious beliefs and practices. “According to Parsons, two main types of frustration in the human situation provide the focal points for the development of religious beliefs.
One of these is that people are “hit” by events that they cannot foresee, prepare for, or control, such as the occurrence of premature death. The second type is present where there is a strong emotional investment in accomplishing some goal, yet despite the greatest energy and skill brought to bear in this effort success remains uncertain… hence the significance of religious belief is that it is made up of the life situation to which people cannot remain indifferent, which they cannot in the long run evade, but which they cannot control adjust to with every practical means available.” (p 46, Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, by William H. Swatos, Rowman Altamira, 1998) This essential nature of human life and experience is relevant not in the personal beliefs of humans alone but in the more general, social, and cultural levels of religious beliefs and practices. It is also significant to note that the influence of the human experience is evident not in the development of the religious beliefs of a single religion alone but of the religions of the world in general. Therefore, it is greatly universal in nature.
In an analysis of the role of the human experience in the development of religious beliefs, it is necessary also to note that the relation between human experience and religion is the exact background to outline the very nature of religion itself. Thus, the human experience indicates the development of a religious view. “A religious view must grow out of the human experience. This follows from the fact that human experience is the only basis for ideas that have any meaning or allow intelligible communication. This means that at every stage of discussion about religion, concepts or assertions must be explained by reference to actual human experience. Ideas tend in time to declare their independence of experience. When this happens, they lose their meaning or their significance becomes obscure and confused. This is the trouble with traditional religious doctrines: they are burdened with ideas which have lost their reference to actual human experience.” (Intelligible Religion by Philip H. Phenix). In this way, human experience provides the right basis for an exact understanding of religion and religious beliefs. It is primarily because of the fact that human experiences are the source for religious philosophies to emerge in great significance. Therefore, an analysis of the relation between religion and human relations ultimately establishes religious views and assumptions.
Another remarkable element of the basic human experience in relation to religious beliefs is that it is the universal experiences of humanity that amount to religious beliefs and practices. Religious experience influences the human experience and in turn the latter influences the former. That is to say, human experiences are of a general nature in determining their specified impact on religion. “Among the universal experiences in which man participates religion relates to those which are of central concern. By this is meant experiences which are involved in every area of man’s life. Religious experience… is not some specialized department of human thought or activity. Rather it is an aspect that pervades every form of man’s existence. Further, these experiences are of central concern by being in some sense ultimate. They do not refer to the immediate, obvious, superficial aspects of consciousness, but to the deepest and most pervasive factors which determine the long-term quality of existence.” (Intelligible Religion by Philip H. Phenix). The relation between religious experience and human experience is one of the most evading relations that is known to humanity. It is in this background we understand the role of human experience in the development of religious belief.
When we concentrate on the religious experience as acquired by human beings, we understand the influence of human experience in the formation of the religious philosophy which ultimately leads one to believe in the religious principles. The psychological development of a child’s religious conscience confirms the contribution of human experience in the development of religious beliefs. Thus, as a child acquires religious beliefs, it evaluates personal experiences and chooses the religious meaning from the meanings provided by evil. These are the human experiences that help the child choose the religious path. In other words, the formation of religious sense and belief is the result of the human being’s lived experience. It is therefore always recommended to provide the child with the maximum freedom to experience its individualized religious experience and develop personal beliefs about the religion. Nobody should interfere in the growth stage of a child. The influence of the parents seems to be the most prevailing block in acquiring the personal experience of religion.
The self-experience has a great significance in a person’s growth of religious identity. The religious experience of a child as it grows old is affected by several life experiences which determine the religious philosophies and beliefs it ultimately chooses. As the faith becomes strong the individual accepts the beliefs of the religion and human experiences then lead not to the selection of a particular religious belief but to the affirmation of the faith in a particular religious philosophy. “Religious experience is markedly influenced by physical health, inherited temperament, and social environment. But these temporal conditions do not inhibit inner spiritual progress by a soul dedicated to the doing of the will of the Father in heaven. There are present in all normal mortals certain innate drives toward growth and self-realization which function if they are not specifically inhibited. The certain technique of fostering this constitutive endowment of the potential of spiritual growth is to maintain an attitude of wholehearted devotion to supreme values.” (Religious Growth, The Urantia Book, Part III – The History of Urantia). The religious growth of a person is an unconscious process. However, it does not mean that the human experience does not affect religious beliefs. It actually takes place and it is unconscious.
It is important to note that religion has a critical role in the life of humanity and it contributes considerably to the progress of the universe. It is also important that religion forms the life experience of an individual all through his life. “Religion is an integral part of the holistic development of an individual, community, and the nation. It permeates every aspect of life. It contributes to making education holistic in terms of tolerance and appreciation of values and ideas within various traditions. (Religious Education). Therefore, on the one hand, religion plays a dominant position in the life of an individual and, on the other, religious beliefs are influenced by the individual’s experiences. The role of religion on humanity and its experiences are very well recognized and now we recognize a more significant role played by human experiences on religious beliefs. Religious beliefs are those which create the religion itself and therefore there is an intrinsic relation between human experiences and religious beliefs and religion itself.
Ultimately we come to top the conclusion that human experiences have paramount influence on religious beliefs as they are formulated by the specific experiences of the individuals in their development of the religious self. The difficult and different situations in a person’s life lead him to the acceptance of a religious belief and as the life experience of the individual grows, the religious belief in the person also gets rooted in the person. “Sometimes a spiritual power is understood broadly as an all-embracing reality, and sometimes it is approached through its manifestation in special symbols. It may be regarded as external to the self, internal, or both. People interact with such a presence in a sacred manner—that is, with reverence and care. Religion is the term most commonly used to designate this complex and diverse realm of human experience.
An adequate understanding of religion must take into account its distinctive qualities and patterns as a form of human experience, as well as the similarities and differences in religions across human cultures.” (Introduction, Religion). Therefore, we can conclude that the person’s individual experiences lead to the specific religious beliefs of the person. In short, the role of human experience in the development of religious belief is greatly significant.
Bibliography
Introduction, Religion. Web.
Intelligible Religion by Philip H. Phenix. Web.
Religious Growth, The Urantia Book, Part Iii – The History of Urantia. Web.
Religious Education. Web.
p 46, Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, by William H. Swatos, Rowman Alttamira, 1998.