THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

RELIGION AND NEUROLOGY

Introduction: the course is not anthropological, but deals with
personal documents-- Questions of fact and questions of value-- In
point of fact, the religious are often neurotic-- Criticism of medical
materialism, which condemns religion on that account-- Theory that
religion has a sexual origin refuted-- All states of mind are neurally
conditioned-- Their significance must be tested not by their origin but
by the value of their fruits-- Three criteria of value; origin useless
as a criterion-- Advantages of the psychopathic temperament when a
superior intellect goes with it--especially for the religious life.

LECTURE II

CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC

Futility of simple definitions of religion-- No one specific "religious
sentiment"-- Institutional and personal religion-- We confine ourselves
to the personal branch-- Definition of religion for the purpose of
these lectures-- Meaning of the term "divine"-- The divine is what
prompts SOLEMN reactions-- Impossible to make our definitions sharp--
We must study the more extreme cases-- Two ways of accepting the
universe-- Religion is more enthusiastic than philosophy-- Its
characteristic is enthusiasm in solemn emotion-- Its ability to
overcome unhappiness-- Need of such a faculty from the biological point
of view.

LECTURE III

THE REALITY OF THE UNSEEN

Percepts versus abstract concepts-- Influence of the latter on belief--
Kant's theological Ideas-- We have a sense of reality other than that
given by the special senses-- Examples of "sense of presence"-- The
feeling of unreality-- Sense of a divine presence: examples-- Mystical
experiences: examples-- Other cases of sense of God's presence--
Convincingness of unreasoned experience-- Inferiority of rationalism in
establishing belief-- Either enthusiasm or solemnity may preponderate
in the religious attitude of individuals.

LECTURES IV AND V

THE RELIGION OF HEALTHY--MINDEDNESS

Happiness is man's chief concern-- "Once-born" and "twice-born"
characters-- Walt Whitman-- Mixed nature of Greek feeling-- Systematic
healthy-mindedness-- Its reasonableness-- Liberal Christianity shows
it-- Optimism as encouraged by Popular Science-- The "Mind-cure"
movement-- Its creed-- Cases-- Its doctrine of evil-- Its analogy to
Lutheran theology-- Salvation by relaxation-- Its methods: suggestion--
meditation-- "recollection"-- verification-- Diversity of possible
schemes of adaptation to the universe-- APPENDIX: TWO mind-cure cases.

LECTURES VI AND VII

THE SICK SOUL

Healthy-mindedness and repentance-- Essential pluralism of the
healthy-minded philosophy-- Morbid-mindedness: its two degrees--The
pain-threshold varies in individuals-- Insecurity of natural goods--
Failure, or vain success of every life-- Pessimism of all pure
naturalism-- Hopelessness of Greek and Roman view-- Pathological
unhappiness-- "Anhedonia"-- Querulous melancholy-- Vital zest is a pure
gift-- Loss of it makes physical world look different-- Tolstoy--
Bunyan-- Alline-- Morbid fear-- Such cases need a supernatural religion
for relief-- Antagonism of healthy-mindedness and morbidness-- The
problem of evil cannot be escaped.

THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE