Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 8 Religious education Guides

Year 8 - Religious education

William James and mystical experience

Knowing God: does religious experience prove God exists?

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils investigate the idea of religious experience. They start with the ideas of William James before examining case studies from history and Christian, Islamic and Hindu worldviews.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain William James' understanding of religious and mystical experiences and how they contribute to the question of God's existence.

Key Notes

  • William James studied religious experiences from a psychologist's perspective and explained their impact on philosophy.
  • He relied on observation, conversation and evidence of impact to reach his conclusions.
  • William James identified four features of mystical experience.
  • He did not seek to prove the existence of a particular God or gods.
  • William James concluded that his research leads to a likelihood of a god existing.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • mystical experience: a religious experience where someone feels a deep personal connection to a higher power
  • pragmatism: a philosophical approach that assesses ideas based on their usefulness in real-life situations
  • religious experience: personal feeling or moment when someone believes they connect with a higher power
  • William James: 20th century psychologist and philosopher who popularised pragmatism

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Students may think James had a clear view on the existence of God.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

William James studied religious experiences from a psychologist's perspective and explained their impact on philosophy. He relied on observation, conversation and evidence of impact to reach his conclusions.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'mystical experience'

a religious experience where someone feels a deep personal connection to a higher power.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Students may think James had a clear view on the existence of God. Correction: James' investigtions led him to be agnostic and open to the idea of God rather than to be a believer.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 Religious education guide library.