Varieties of Religious Experience – William James

William James - The Varieties of Religious Experience, thoughtsofgod.com, Thoughts of God, David Reese

The course is not anthropological, but deals with personal documents. Percepts versus abstract concepts-Happiness is man’s chief concern-Healthy-mindedness and repentance- Heterogeneous personality- Sudden conversion- Testing human value of its fruits- Mysticism defined- Primacy of feeling in religion- Philosophy a secondary function- Aesthetic elements in religion- Summary of religious characteristics

Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 Experiment Complete and All was Vanity

Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 Experiment Complete - All is comprehensively declared to be vanity. Accomplishing work itself is seen to have some limited value, thoughtsofgod.com, Thoughts of God, David Reese

9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem The experiment comes to an end and all three parts of the exercise are restated; Vanity of Wisdom, Knowledge, Madness, and Folly, Vanity of Physical Stimulation, and Vanity of Increasing Wealth. An argument can be made that these things do […]

Ecclesiastes 1:12-13b – The Experiment – Exploring Value in What Can Be Done

Ecclesiastes 1:12-13b – The Experiment – Exploring Value in What Can Be Done, Thoughtsofgod.com, Thoughts of God, David Reese

12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. Authority to speak, to be heard as a counselor, is reasserted. Solomon was said to have “32 … spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.” Solomon’s wisdom and discernment were in the mind in post exilic Israel. Referring to Solomon grabs the attention […]