8 Mark

1  Explore the nature of religious experience. (8)  paper Q 2020

1  Explore the range of definitions of religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore the key features of the context of religious experience across religious traditions, and the range of definitions related to belief in God and/or ultimate reality. (8) 

1  Explore the key features of the context of religious experience across theistic and monistic views. (8) 

1  Explore the different forms of religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore different types of religious experience. (8) 2023 AS Q

1  Explore key features of religious experiences. (8) 2020 Q 

1  Explore Williams James religious experience categories of ineffability, noetic, transience, and passivity. (8) 

1  Explore conversion, prayer, meditation, mysticism, numinous as types of religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore the variety of forms of religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore the main characteristics of conversion and mystical experiences. (8) 

1  Explore the main characteristics of visions and conversion experiences. (8) 

1 Explore the relationship between religious experience and propositional and non-propositional revelation. (8) 

1 Explore the alternative explanations for religious experiences. (8)   

1  Explore the physiological and naturalistic interpretations of religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore objectivist and subjectivist views of religious experience. (8) 

1 Explore Rudolph Otto's idea of the numinous as an approach to understanding religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore the concept of the "Mysterium tremendum et fascinans" in religious experience. (8) 

1  Explore alternative explanations for religious experiences. (8) 

12 Mark

2. Assess the challenges of accounting for the nature of religious experience. (12)

2. Assess the significance of religious traditions, and the range of definitions related to belief in God and/or ultimate reality. (12)

2. Assess the importance of theistic and monistic views of religious experience. (12)  

2 Assess the strenghts of Williams James religious experience categories of ineffability, noetic, transience, and passivity. (12)

2. Assess the credibility of conversion, prayer, meditation, mysticism, numinous as types of religious experience. (12)

2. Assess the extent that the relationship between religious experience and propositional and non-propositional revelation is convincing. (12)

2 Assess the strengths of claim the physiological and naturalistic interpretations of religious experience can explain them fully. (12)

2 Assess the weakness objectivist and subjectivist views of religious experience. (12)

2 Assess the statement 'It is fair to say that some forms of religious experience are impossible to verify'. (12)

2 Assess the importance of Rudolph Otto's idea of the numinous as an approach to understanding religious experience. (12)

20 Mark

3b Analyse the significance of accounting for the nature of religious experience. (20) 

3b Analyse the credibility of the range of definitions related to belief in God and/or ultimate reality used in religious traditions. (20)

3b Analyse the relative  importance of theistic and monistic views of religious experience. (20)

3b Analyse the the extent to which corporate religious experiences can be thought of as any more reliable or valid than individual experiences. (20)

3b Analyse the weaknesses of the claim that 'prayer, meditation are more helpful than other types of religious experiences' (20)

3b Analyse the strengths and weakness of propositional and non-propositional revelation. (20)

3b Analyse he strengths and weakness of physiological and naturalistic interpretations of religious experience. (20)

3b) Analayse the importance objectivist and subjectivist views of religious experience. (20)

3b Analyse the relevance of Rudolph Otto's idea of the numinous as an approach to understanding religious experience. (20)

3b Analyse the strengths and weakness of the view that 'there is no way to establish the validity of religious experiences, so they are not a reliable basis for faith in God. (20)

30 Mark

4. Evaluate the view 'Religious experience shows that we can be united with something greater than ourselves.' (30) 

4 Evaluate the opinion that 'Corporate religious experiences are less reliable than individual religious experiences.' (30) 

4 Evaluate the claim that 'Conversion experiences do not provide a basis for belief in God.' (30) 

4 Evaluate the opinion that 'Conversions are not genuine examples of religious experience.' (30)

4 Evaluate  William James’ definition of religious experience.(30)

4 Evaluate the relative importance of  the claim that 'prayer, meditation are more helpful than other types of religious experiences'. (30)

4 Evaluate the significance of propositional and non-propositional revelation. (30)

4. Evaluate the meaning and significance of physiological and naturalistic interpretations in debates about religious experience. (30) 

4 Evaluate the extent to which objectivist and subjectivist views are helpful in debates about religious experience. (30) 

4 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the view that 'there is no way to establish the validity of religious experiences, so they are not a reliable basis for faith in God. (30)

4 Evaluate the claim "although it is reasonable to believe in God on the basis of a religious experience you yourself have had, it is wrong to believe on the basis of other peoples’ reports." (30)