Published by Does God Exist? Surely a more pressing question is why ask? I have gained a certain level of proficiency in the prayerful state to experience the presence of God when I pray. Is that proof of the objective existence of God? No! But it is proof that under certain psychological conditions certain psychological phenomena do occur. Why do we need God? Well, whether he exists or not, there are literally millions of people, probably billions of people world wide who report back positive benefits of the belief in God and that is good enough. Belief is separate from knowledge in the sense of knowledge the way that we use it in the natural sciences. The concept of knowledge in a religious sense is that of a feeling of unity with the concept and a sense of unity with and the experience of something of the divine, just like that which I can achieve in the state of prayer. I can say that religiously I know God, but I can’t make the same statement in a scientific sense. All I have is an experience to go by. Admittedly it is an experience that can probably be measured using brain scanning technology, in that a change in the brain has occurred as a result of using spiritual techniques for years, but that is in no way a proof of the objective existence of God in the sense of scientific proof.
But what is the point? What is the purpose of having religious experience of God? Firstly it is not just like having an invisible friend. Belief in God and religious knowledge of God can at times provide a sense of calm, a sense of order and an extra underlying purpose to living itself, as well as acceptance of things that we don’t know enough about and a renewed appreciation for natural beauty. For some, religion is a form of therapy, and in the 21st century when life is more complex then it has eve been, a need for therapy is very strong, but one doesn’t always want to place ones life in the hands of certain practitioners. However in saying this I am not telling you that religion is something that you can use to replace therapy altogether. If you need help then show appreciation to the Creator though looking after his creation (you!) and get help. But religion and in particular religious experience is, I feel, essential in assisting growth. Also I would say on the basis of experience, that some of the states of mind associated with religious experience can have an important effect in assisting in introspection. The more rapid brain wave activity of spiritual ecstasy which is similar to the state of brain wave activity that precedes a flying dream (the gamma brain wave frequency) can be used to process information at a rapid rate, thus allowing you to place thoughts, feelings and experiences in their proper proportion.
During a time when we have an atheist backlash against religion, the practices of religion cannot be quelled. Indeed the creation versus evolution debate is not a threat to my practices at all I don’t have to have proof of the existence of God, I need to have experience of God so as to assist me with the progress though my life. Knowing what I do about psychology, I know that there are very real benefits to my health of body and mind that theistic activities can have on me. I do not have to seek proof of the existence of God in the natural world, I just have to act as a believer and try and get that knowledge of God more and more. And I would add that it doesn’t matter which God, so long as the experience is beneficial to me. My theistic activities are not there to dictate morality to me, to you or to any social group, they are there to make me more whole. I can say that I believe in God, I can say that I have had experiences of the Knowledge of God in a religious sense, but I can’t say that I have knowledge of God in a scientific sense of the word.
