Evaluating James

For

• If there is a God who transcends our understanding, then the idea of the noetic is useful because it would take an incomprehensible, powerful God to be able to disclose such knowledge, rather than finite limited beings grasping an understanding of this God.
• Pluralism is useful in its attempt to be all inclusive across religions. This promotes harmony   
• It is good that James is modest in his approach. He never goes as far as to say these religious experiences prove the existence of a particular religions idea of God
• It is good to look at other areas of human faculties, such as the psychological, when studying experience. This is more holistic. 

Against

• The term ‘mystical experience’ is useful in its focus upon the experience which is beyond our natural ability to understand, but if we can’t understand it have we really said anything useful at all?
• Pluralism makes no sense because it fails to take seriously the competing truth claims from each religion. E.g. Is Jesus God? (Christian) or Prophet (Islam)
• If there are psychological explanations for these experiences, then they are no longer religious experiences.
• Is experience the main source of religious belief? Is James putting too much emphasis on the importance of human experience when it comes to making sense of religion?

Source: Watford Grammar School