Qabasat

Qabasat

An Analytical Study of the Scope of the Argument from Religious Experience in Establishing Certain Attributes of God

Document Type : Original Article

Author
sayed Ali Mohammad Musavi
استادیار گروه معارف اسلامی دانشگاه صنعتی خواجه نصیرالدین طوسی (ره) تهران- ایران
10.22034/qabasat.2026.2053154.2404
Abstract
The argument from religious experience is one of the arguments for the existence of God that has garnered the attention of theologians, particularly in the West. The foundation of this argument lies in immediate awareness and direct encounter with a supramaterial (transcendent) being—or manifestations thereof. The central question is whether these experiences—even when reported recurrently by diverse peoples, nations, and followers of various religions—possess the capacity to establish the existence of a God who bears the attributes associated with the Abrahamic faiths. The present study examines this topic using a descriptive-analytical method and library-based research. Based on the findings of this research, it is important to note that—just as many arguments for the existence of God (such as those based on order, innate nature, causality, etc.) operate within their own specific scopes, meaning one cannot establish many of God's attributes merely by relying on a single argument—the same principle applies here. For instance, the argument from design might not suffice to prove the eternality (past and future) of the Designer; yet, no one has discarded the argument for that reason. Similarly, by aggregating and identifying commonalities among the religious experiences of various individuals, one may be able to establish not only the existence of a transcendent reality but also certain of its attributes—such as mercy, knowledge and awareness, all-encompassing presence regarding creation, life, wisdom, and power. However, establishing these very attributes in an absolute sense (Omniscient, Omnipotent, etc.) through this argument appears unlikely.
Keywords
Argument from religious experience, proof of God'
s existence, proof of God'
s attributes, scope of the argument
Subjects
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