Journal for the Study of Religious Experience

Editorial

Bettina Schmidt, Jack Hunter — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 12:09:06 +0000

Editorial.

Reflections on Nothingness and Oneness

Aaron Murly — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This Discrete Charm of Shunyata (Emptiness) and Zen in the Art of Basketball

Stefan Sencerz — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 15:52:05 +0000

The concept of shunyata-emptiness plays a central role in Mahayana Buddhism. It is also one of the most difficult concepts to grasp, both by the Westerners and the Easterners (including Buddhists themselves). On the flip side, the game of basketball and the rituals surrounding it are sometimes hard to appreciate by those who are not already the game’s aficionados. Somehow, they tend to miss on the philosophical, spiritual and even mystical aspects of the game (and generally sports).

I argue in this paper that the language and rituals surrounding the game of basketball provide ‘windows’ on what Buddhists call shunyata. Thus, they help us to understand metaphysics and epistemology developed in the context of Mahayana Buddhism (especially Zen Buddhism). In turn, the language and rituals developed within the tradition of Zen help us to understand what sometimes happens on the basketball court.

Key terms:
Mahayana Buddhism, basketball, shunyata-emptiness, samadhi, awakening.

Word count: @13450

Conversion and relationship with God: study of gendered experience within Christianity

Anne Morgan — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 15:33:51 +0000

There is a long tradition of the academic study of religious experience, in relation to conversion, specifically within Christianity. Research devising a variety of models to study conversion have focused on reasons for change and associated motivation. This study aims to identify whether women experience conversion differently to men. Methodology includes a mix of field work and contributions from the Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC) at Lampeter University. The field work is conducted using semi structured interviews with a small number of individuals all with connections to evangelism.

Analysis of the evidence shows that the participants interviewed relate their experiences closely to the New Testament, asserting that one’s relationship with God is foremost. Subtle differences are identified in use of language between women and men. Women’s relationship with God is distinctive to that of men. These factors were present in both RERC database contributors and interviewed participants. Further research is needed to confirm the results as the study is limited to the experiences of those interviewed and the RERC database.

Keywords: conversion, gender, Christianity, evangelism

The Rainbow Bridge: Imagining ‘Animal Heaven’

Andrew Dean — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 12:01:31 +0000

The increased integration of animals into family life has raised acute eschatological concerns about what future, if any, awaits pets in the afterlife. With little known about this religious issue, this ethnographic study explores pet communities mitigating bereavement through embracing eschatological innovation and imagining ‘animal heaven’, i.e., the Rainbow Bridge. Although imagination is often considered unreal, this study ruminates on imagination being a supernatural sense, allowing the bereaved to perceive their deceased pets in the afterlife. Key findings show that the Rainbow Bridge has three core functions, including, (1) providing a temporary pet paradise, (2) preparing pets for the real Heaven, and (3) reducing human bereavement. Finally, as an emerging religion, the Rainbow Bridge is a mixture of semi-systematised beliefs, being further imagined each day.