What Does Otto Mean By Numinous Experience?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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For Otto, the numinous can be understood to be the experience of

a mysterious terror and awe

(Mysterium tremendum et fascinans) and majesty (Majestas) in the presence of that which is “entirely other” (das ganz Andere) and thus incapable of being expressed directly through human language and other media.

What is the meaning of phenomenology of religion?

The phenomenology of religion

concerns the experiential aspect of religion, describing religious phenomena in terms consistent with the orientation of worshippers

. It views religion as made up of different components, and studies these components across religious traditions in order to gain some understanding of them.

How does Rudolf Otto define religion?

He explains the numinous as a “non-rational, non-sensory experience or feeling whose primary and immediate object is outside the self”. … Otto therefore understands religious experience as

having mind-independent phenomenological content

rather than being an internal response to belief in a divine reality.

What did Rudolf Otto do?

Rudolf Otto, (born Sept. 25, 1869, Peine, Prussia—died March 6, 1937, Marburg, Ger.),

German theologian, philosopher, and historian of religion

, who exerted worldwide influence through his investigation of man’s experience of the holy.

What is religious dimension?

The religious dimension

acknowledges the sacred in the everyday, the mystery of God and the immeasurable possibilities of human destiny

. It keeps the big questions of God, and the ‘why’ of life and living always to the forefront, as it encourages students to grapple with who God is and how God acts in my life.

What are the 4 types of religion?

Religious Classification What/Who Is Divine Example Polytheism Multiple gods Belief systems of the ancient Greeks and Romans Monotheism Single god Judaism, Islam Atheism No deities Atheism Animism Nonhuman beings (animals, plants, natural world) Indigenous nature worship (Shinto)

What is your religious experience?

A religious experience is

when someone feels they have had a direct or personal experience of God

. … A religious experience could be a dream or vision where God speaks to a person, or it could be a miraculous healing. This first-hand experience is utterly convincing to that person.

What are the characteristics of phenomenology?

Phenomenology as a method has four characteristics, namely

descriptive, reduction, essence and intentionality

. to investigate as it happens. observations and ensure that the form of the description as the things themselves.

What is the importance of phenomenology?

Phenomenology helps us

to understand the meaning of people’s lived experience

. A phenomenological study explores what people experienced and focuses on their experience of a phenomena.

Why religion is difficult to define?

Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems:

they are either too narrow and exclude many belief systems which most agree are religious

, or they are too vague and ambiguous, suggesting that just about anything and everything is a religion.

Is it possible to understand religion without a clear definition of what religion is?

Yes, each person will experience religion in a different way. Even each

Christian

will experience the Christian religion in a different way. But that does not mean we cannot approach a somewhat universal definition of what being Christian means—the common ground, if you will.

What does Otto mean by Mysterium?

“Mysterium”:

Wholly

Other, experienced with blank wonder, stupor. “tremendum”: awefulness, terror, demonic dread, awe, absolute unapproachability, “wrath” of God. overpoweringness, majesty, might, sense of one’s own nothingness in contrast to its power.

What would an Omnist believe in?

The Oxford dictionaries defines an omnist as “a person

who believes in all faiths or creeds

; a person who believes in a single transcendent purpose or cause uniting all things or people, or the members of a particular group of people”.

What are the 7 religious dimensions?

According to Smart, a religious framework is composed of seven dimensions:

narrative/mythological, doctrinal, ethical, institutional, material, ritual, and experiential

(Smart, 1999). These dimensions capture the broad and encompassing nature of religion.

What are the four religious dimensions?

On the basis of previous theorization and research, the author proposes a model that posits four basic dimensions of religion and individual religiosity that are partially distinct although interconnected:

believing, bonding, behaving, and belonging

.

What are the seven dimensions?

They are

physical, social, environmental, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional

, especially as they influence the seventh dimension, occupational wellness.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.