is personal experience good enough?

[Mike182]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

 

[Panda]

Isn't faith often solely bases on personal experience? I would have thought it is more than good enough for faith but not good enough for proof.

 

[Ori]

I guess so, but only you will know that.

Or you could be hallucinating. Either way, have fun.

 

[Mike182]

Isn't faith often solely bases on personal experience? I would have thought it is more than good enough for faith but not good enough for proof.

oh i certainly agree that as proof for others it is completely inadequate.

 

[PureX]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

I don't think it's a basis for faith at all. Faith is a reaction to our lack of knowledge and experience. It's not a product of our knowledge and experience.

What you're talking about isn't a practice of faith so much as it's a practice of spiritualism.

 

[Mike182]

I don't think it's a basis for faith at all. Faith is a reaction to our lack of knowledge and experience. It's not a product of our knowledge and experience.

What you're talking about isn't a practice of faith so much as it's a practice of spiritualism.

the spiritualism i am talking about require a belief in or acceptance of Deities, so how are the two different in this respect?

 

[doppelganger]

. is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

If it's good enough for you, that's good enough for me.

 

[Nanda]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

I would imagine that personal experience would be the most important thing in choosing what you believe...

 

[Azakel]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

Yes it is. I agree with you because my spiritual belief is based on personal experiences with the Gods.

 

[michel]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

It is for me. most of what I believe in happens to conform - mostly - with Christianity; having said that, there are parts of my faith that are definitely not mainstream Christianity.

It does sometimes "amuse" (right word ?) when I read something about Christianity that I have foiund out for myself - through prayers, meditation, only to later find out that it just so happens to be something with which I fit in with Christianity.

 

[Special Revelation]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

It depends on what your faith is based on? In Christianity... faith does not save anyone from the wrath of God if that faith is misplaced. What is your faith based on? The Bible states that the Demons believe there is one God and shudder. Even an understanding of the facts (orthodoxy) does not save someone in Biblical Christianity.

 

[Mike182]

It depends on what your faith is based on? In Christianity... faith does not save anyone from the wrath of God if that faith is misplaced. What is your faith based on? The Bible states that the Demons believe there is one God and shudder. Even an understanding of the facts (orthodoxy) does not save someone in Biblical Christianity.

i don't understand what you are asking me... are you asking what the focus of my faith is? because it certainly is not Christ or salvation therein.

 

[Special Revelation]

i don't understand what you are asking me... are you asking what the focus of my faith is? because it certainly is not Christ or salvation therein.

In your OP, you asked the question of "is it good enough for a basis of faith?". I guess you need to expound your question because it seems I don't understand it.

 

[joeboonda]

I do not trust feelings. Emotions, the mind, will and emotions, are Satan's playground. I do not base my faith, my salvation on how I feel at a given moment, for Satan is the accuser of the brethren. I base my faith solely on the authority of the Word of God who cannot lie, who said whoever believes in Jesus that He paid for our sins HAS eternal life, who knows the future and told the future in two-thirds of the Bible. I trust the prophecies come true, the eye-witnesses of the crucifixion and resurrection, the accurate historical statements and archeology backing that up more each day, the advanced medical statements in the Bible, and the advance scientific statements in the Bible, and in the transformed lives of people who have realized the insurpassable love God has toward us and trusted His Son for salvation.

 

[Aqualung]

Personal experience is all anybody ever has for anything. So, if it's not good enough, people would cease to function.

 

[Random]

What you're talking about isn't a practice of faith so much as it's a practice of spiritualism.

What he said. :yes: Emphasis added...

Finding true faith means learning to trust there is a purpose for everything that is, learning to be-long here in this world as any other. It does not involve worshipping projections of our own imaginations, which is idolatry.

 

[Willamena]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

Depends on what is it you have faith in because of these experiences.

 

[Quagmire]

My belief in god (that He exists) as well as my faith (that He's got my best interests at heart) comes from my personal experience with Him.

My opinions about religion comes from my personal experiences with religious people.

 

[wizanda]

Faith is feeling from the heart!
Before reading the Bible at 22 and having faith from miracles, fulfilled revelation chapter 10 as God asked me (and group of friends) too.....
So belief in a dead book for me is like moth-worm....so i would say keep your Faith as it is more real, then any dead book......God is the lord of life and if we open our hearts we see this...

 

[Inky]

my religion is based on my personal experiences of the supernatural, or at least what i perceive to be supernatural. i have images and visions in which i communicate with deity figures, i physically feel a spiritual connection with what i perceive to be dis-incarnate entities.... is this subjective, personal experience a good enough basis for faith?

Certainly. It's all we have-- many religions have writings they use as references, but only our own experiences can tell us which writings to trust in the first place.

I was raised Christian practically since I was born, so for a long time I believed in it because it had never occurred to me not to. As an adult I continue to pray and have spiritual experiences like you describe; most of them "feel" Christian, some don't. I keep the parts of my childhood beliefs that my prayer reflects, and ditch the rest. I think that whoever may be communicating with us is much too complicated to be fully represented by any one religion, and it's best for each of us to follow the tiny facet of God which has been presented to us. So, I'm still a practicing Christian (depending on your definition), but don't think everyone should be, because not everyone gets Christian-type responses when they pray.

Maybe everyone's spiritual experiences all together would come close to a full and well-rounded view of God. Maybe not, it was just a thought.