Varieties of Religious Experience by William James - Missed The Point?

I am neither a theologian, nor a scholar learned in the history of religions, nor an anthropologist. Psychology is the only branch of learning in which I am particularly versed. To the psychologist the religious propensities of man must be at least as interesting as any other of the facts pertaining to his mental constitution. It would seem, therefore, as a psychologist, the natural thing for me would be to invite you to a descriptive survey of those religious propensities.

When William James went to the University of Edinburgh in 1901 to deliver a series of lectures on natural religion, he defined religion as the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine. Considering religion, then, not as it is defined by--or takes place in--the churches, but as it is felt in everyday life, he undertook a project that, upon completion, stands not only as one of the most important texts on psychology ever written, not only as a vitally serious contemplation of spirituality, but for many critics one of the best works of nonfiction written in the 20th century. Reading The Varieties of Religious Experience, it is easy to see why. Applying his analytic clarity to religious accounts from a variety of sources, James elaborates a pluralistic framework in which the divine can mean no single quality, it must mean a group of qualities, by being champions of which in alternation, different men may all find worthy missions. Its an intellectual call for serious religious tolerance--indeed, respect--the vitality of which has not diminished through the subsequent decades.

Missed The Point?
James was a pioneer in the fledgling field of psychology. He was also a philosopher and held an M.D. degree. In 1902, he was the first American to be invited to give one of the prestigous "Gifford Lectures on Natural Theology" at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The lectures were given over the period of one academic year with the expectation that they would be edited and printed in book form. "Natural Theology" was then considered to be some concept of God based on scientific proof rather than so-called "miracles". "Theology" was an all-inclusive term that included psychology, cultural writings, politics, traditions and mythology, among other things, and it was not confined to Christian tradition. It just so happens that James was of a Christian background but considered himself a "pragmatist". Its slant is definitely psychological in nature and applicable to anyone having a religous bent.

It is easy to be blinded by the sublime quality of James's writing and flawless logic. "Varieties" is a masterpiece of genius but it is not the only book written by James. And it would be a mistake to believe that the whole of James's thinking is contained within it's pages.

By the time his lectures ended, people were literally hanging in the windows and clinging to the chandeliers to hear him speak. And they were not disappointed. After a year of lectures, James concluded that there are forces outside of ourselves that influence our actions.

James's point was not lost on either the listeners of the time or me. Aside from James's obvious genius, what are we to make of his conclusion that forces outside of ourselves influence our actions? We have yet to answer the "what", "how" and "why" posed by his conclusion. The book is not an end in itself. It raises too many vital questions of our existence that are in need of furher examination.

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in the 1940s by a man named Bill Wilson who believed that the only cure for alcoholism is helping other alcoholics to become sober, relying on a "higher power" in order to sustain sobriety. Wilson's book, "Alcoholics Anonymous" references only one authoritative source and that is the "Varieties of Religous Experience". Wilson made no comment about James's book other than to list it as his only reference. But it is clear why he did it. James's reference to a power outside of our own consciousness became the "higher power" of Wilson's philosophy.

This book is a "must read" for anyone, Christian or not, who is intellectually drawn to understand the "mystic" part of our humanity.

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