The Epistemology of Religious Experience

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly fun and readable
Review: You wouldn't expect a book with this title to be readable and engaging, but it is. I was looking for books to assign in a first-year college course, an introduction to religious studies. I wanted something that would present the basic problems and issues in the study of religion, but would also substantiate the abstract concepts with examples from different world religious traditions--a cross-cultural dimension, in other words.
Using the analytic approach of epistemology--the branch of philosophy that asks, "How do we know anything?"--the author explores the question, "Does religious experience provide evidence for religious belief?" This raises the irresistably fascinating question: does religious experience prove the existence of God? The cross-cultural material is a major plus. At the outset the author presents a typology of Eastern and Western religious experiences with some highfalutin' terms--Nirvanic, Kevalic, Moksha--but he immediately illustrates the types with substantive examples from various sacred Scriptures. Although the narrative occasionally bogs down in formal logical propositions, the simple, punchy sentences--"if this is true, then is X false?"--mostly make the questions clearer and more compelling. At times I actually felt like I was reading a good detective story.
This volume may be a bit too intimidating for freshpersons because of its length and heavy use of logical propositions, but I wouldn't hestitate to assign it in an upper-level course. I found this to be surprisingly accessible, clearly written, and fun to read! But then I'm a theology buff and I like books about the perceived clash between science & religion.