Ask a Traditional Catholic

[Jenny A]

The interesting thing is that most religions do something just like this to determine if experiences from god are real or of the devil etc.  The thing is that they use different scripture, traditions, personal experiences, and their own visions.  And they would dismiss your experiences just as you would dismiss theirs.  

Some of these people's scripture overlaps with yours such as the Jews, Muslims, JWs, and Mormons.  Some of them don't share any scripture with you at all, though they have tons of scripture, like the Hindus.  Others have an entirely oral tradition such as the Navajos, Zuni, and Hopi.  Not surprisingly Navajos tend to have experiences of gods that match the Navajo faith, Mormons have experiences that match the Mormon faith, and Hindus have experiences that match the Hindu faith.  

Interestingly, it is on this very basis that the Jews rejected both Jesus and Paul.  The messages of Jesus and Paul did not match Jewish traditions and experiences, or scripture. And it's on this basis that Paul first rejected Jesus.  

The fact that whole traditions of people can follow your system and come to completely different results is because it is a faith confirming rather than truth seeking system.  What you are discerning is whether it feels like good Catholic doctrine or not.  And all the Hindi is doing is determining whether it is good Hindi doctrine.  Rationally, there's nothing to choose between you and no reason not to think both of you are deluded.

And why not, Jenny?

The Christian scientist uses the same steps in the scientific method that the Hindu scientist uses.

The point flew right over your head didn't it?  Let me spell it out:

When those "experiencing" god apply the same discernment method, they get wildly differing results depending on the cultural background and religion of the person applying the method.  This is because their premises are not agreed upon, and the validity of the experience (the data) is not seriously tested for possibilities other than the supernatural. Thus, the gazillion differing views about who god is, if there is only one of him, what he wants, and who speaks for him.  This is because religion is about faith and interpreting experience to match one's faith.  In other words it is not really a truth seeking method.  It is a dogmatic method and only evidence conforming to dogma is excepted.  The results are entrenched but differing (and even contradictory) belief systems.

When people from differing cultural backgrounds apply the scientific method, they generally get the same results.  When they don't, they check the method and the data for error.  Science produces the same verified results regardless of the cultural background of the scientist.  This is because science is an attempt to find out what is and how it works rather to force the evidence to conform to a particular philosophy. The results of science are often useful technology, medicine, and prediction. Rather than continued splintering scientists generally reach a consensus independent of their cultural backgrounds.