Argument Against Religious Experience as Validation

[bennyboy]

Wow, what's being professed here in the name of religion is just... wow.

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The ye'old argument of saying the personal experience you felt makes it true pretty much means you've closed the door on any reason to continue debating with us. Seriously.
If you've reached that point in your argument where you are saying "I had the feeling of the Holy Ghost in my heart! An experience unique to me!" then it's over.
You walk away.

You think you win.
We think you lost. Note how we never have to think we win anything, there is nothing to actually "win" over.

And to those against this spiritual bull crap?
Trying to convince them the logic behind this "experience" as proof concept is like you telling your child "No, you didn't dream about unicorns last night. That never happened".
Fact is? You don't know what your kid experienced in their dreams at all. You can't prove it. You can't disprove it. It was in there head. Arguing about the validity of this is just, mute. Best ignore the christian posts and move on.

The same applies to you Theists. What one man experienced you cannot possibly know. Thus you can't believe what he experienced because like the child's dream? You'll never fucking know. Seriously. You'll never know. In your Spirited visitation? Jesus was wearing a Gold Robe and was actually Black man. Hell, maybe God is Morgan god-damned Freeman to you. But to the other guy? God was made of wispy clouds speaking in a uni-sexual vibe (mixture of female and males pitches) and Jesus looked exactly like the actor from Jesus Christ Super Star.

You can never know. You never will. You're dreams are unique to you and his to his own. Because that's all they are. Dreams. Visions. Illusions. Comforting images and sounds formulated within your mind because you've self programmed your conscious to create them at times of doubt, fear, stress, anxiety and hardship.

What's worse is that this convincing of "I know it's real because I experienced it first hand within my soul!" completely destroys the idea of Faith. You are supposed to believe in your God and Christ with such conviction that even without this spiritual suppository shoved up your anus, you're convinced it's true.
Those who admit to believing in God due to such "scenarios" simply proves that even they doubt the criteria that is their "Faith", so you suffer yourself to levels of delusion that becomes poisonious to you; like a drug. Thinking you'll see more clearly now, high on "spiritual enlightenment"; always ignoring how much this "habit" will cost you.

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This stuff makes me want to vomit...

I think there's a disconnect here between people who HAVE religious feelings, and people who don't. We have to start with honesty and belief: if someone says they've had an experience, I will believe them. It's their interpretation that I will doubt or disbelieve.

If someone says they've had a religious experience, I will believe they've ACTUALLY:
-felt like something/someone is there with them
-felt elation beyond what is normal for them
-had an image or vision that connects deeply and emotionally
-had a realization or "Eureka!" moment where something has come clear for them

I've experienced experiences that embody all of these, and they were very powerful. They would be well DESCRIBED as religious, so in that sense, I can say I've had a religious experience. However, if I attempt to assert the positive existence of angels, or that OBE is actually a kind of spiritual travel, then people will be right to challenge my interpretation of my experiences.