6. Experiential:
• The origins of a religion often include very powerful experiential elements. 'The Buddha achieved Enlightenment as he sat in meditation beneath the Bo-Tree. As a consequence of his shattering mystical experience, he believed that he had the secret of the cure for the suffering and dis- satisfactions of life in this world. We have records of the inaugural visions of some prophets...The words of Jesus Christ reveal his sense of intimate closeness to the Father; there is little doubt that this rested on highly significant personal experiences.'
• Religions also have a powerful experiential element in the lives of believers. Christians believe that God answers prayers, Buddhist seek out deep meaningful experiences through meditation.
• Belief is not just about facts talked about. It is a way of life lived.
• 'For this reason, it is unrealistic to treat Marxism as a religion: though it possesses doctrines, symbols, a moral code, and even sometimes rituals, it denies the possibility of an experience of the invisible world. Neither relationship to a personal God nor the hope of an experience of salvation or nirvana can be significant for the Marxist. Likewise Humanism, because it fixes its sights on this-worldly aims, is essentially nonreligious.'
• One problem with the experiential dimension is that experiences tend to be explained and understood in the light of the accepted doctrines of the time. This means that it is difficult to understand what is actually involved in a religious experience.