I think we all have some kind of agreement on the presence of un-explained experiences or incidences. If that is the case, then we are having dispute on relating this experience with God, and we are not having dispute on these experiences by themselves.
On Religious Experience
When it comes of discussing experiences that can not be scientifically explained, I think to be systematic, we can proceed in steps: 1. There are un-explained experiences we face in our daily life, which we can not scientifically explain -like dreams we see while sleeping. No one can deny dreams, hence dreams can be a good evidence to prove that in our physical world there are things happen which the modern science is not matured enough yet to explain. 2. The next step is to say that, even in an alert awake mode, people pass through experiences which they (or science) can not explain. Now, this experience can not be rejected, because dreams stand as a support for the case although science stands against the case. In this case, science can be silenced by it's ignorance and inability to explain dreams -which are true experiences. 3. Now, when science can not help much in explaining things, people start to resort to other meta-physical references to seek proper explanations.
When I can not explain something does not necessarily imply that this something does not exist. Now when it comes to explaining such experience, I think in the world of meta-physics there are other things beside God (if they exist). There are angles and there are demons. How to know it is from whom. One possible way is to know from past accumulated experience and literature what types of things that might come from God and what types of things that might come from devil. So if an un-explained experience comes to a man and motives him to kill an innocent human being, then looking into accumulated literature of God one can easily see that it is against God's wisdom, so one will consider this instruction coming from devil.
I think we all have some kind of agreement on the presence of un-explained experiences or incidences. If that is the case, then we are having dispute on relating this experience with God, and we are not having dispute on these experiences by themselves.
But first, I am having difficulty to define such experience. I mean, is there a common denominator which flags an incidence as RE or just experience? Is a trigger to change towards better a source of RE. If that is the case then people differ in their reaction for triggers. There could be the same trigger to two different individual, but one of them goes into transformation because of this trigger and other does not.
I think the RE has a pre-requisite, that the person experiencing RE already believes in God, or at least knows that these exists something called God. So, when a pleasant incidence happens and he/she can not explain then unconsciously he/she attributes this to God. If this is the case, then RE was not an argument for the existence of God to this person, because he/she already knew the existence of God. It, however, could be a supportive argument to confirm once believe or raise any doubts about the existence of God.
I think there could be multiple sources for such experiences, so God might not be the only source. That could be distinguished by looking at the nature of experience.
I would like to share my religious experiences, and I would think my being a dedicated practicing Muslim I have no problem in explaining the source of such explanation.
1. I have been arguing in the past that Koran is the words of God, and when reciting it's verses thinking about their meaning and relating things with my personal life certainly creates feelings within myself which I get amazed at. Well, I get similar feeling when I watch some Animal Planet documentary and think about the wonderful creatures that God created and guided those creatures through social systems. However, in both cases they are products of God, in the former case it is the words of God, and later it is the creatures of God. 2. I get an inner feeling of happiness when I help a poor with no expectation of any worldly return from him, just of moral basis. Is this inner happiness an example of RE? 3. I get an inner feeling of love of God, when I am in deep trouble and raise my hands like a bagger and ask him support from the deep of my heart, and then get answer... 4. I get an inner feeling of happiness when during the month of fasting (Ramadan) and at the middle of a hot Saudi Arabian day when I have all sort of food and drink in front of me, and yet does not touch them only because I know a God is watching over me... 5. I get an inner feeling of happiness when being alone and no one is watching over me, and I have the opportunity to watch a porn channel or website and fill my eyes with pleasure, yet I refrain from that for nothing but my firm knowledge that a God is watching, this feeling I attribute to God..
these are few personal experience of which I call a by-product of firm faith in God, but had I not believed in God, would I still witness such experiences? I do not think I would, hence I think these experiences are confirming evidences for a God, and not an isolated evidence for someone who does not believe in God...
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Do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. [Quran aal-Imran (3):139]
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