Christians: Is it at least possible that people who "experience god" are hallucinating?

Question

or misinterpreting what is happening to them?

Answer 1

Meat: In cases of diagnosed schizophrenia, paranoid psychosis, bipolar psychosis, some people experience what they believe to be God talking to them or seeing God. It would be ridiculous to claim otherwise. They do believe though, that what they experience is very, very real, so they are not themselves misinterpreting it. They also have "experiences" seeing and hearing others talk to them, the FBI, the Queen of England, their parents, etc. Note as well that these psychosis experiences are commonly not positive or uplifting.

Many, many people "experience God" in many different ways and they are having a true experience.
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Answer 2

I can only speak for myself on this because I am not aware of everyones situations but I for one have experienced God in ways that I dont see being explained away by a hallucination. And there have been times I HAVE hallucinated but unless you are completely insane, you know when you have had a hallucination. No hallucination I have had, made me change in any way... but the experiences with God that I've had, impacted my life so strong that I completely changed as a person.

It's not unlike the near death experiences that some people have had. Some like to say they were just dreams they had while unconscious, but even though I have had MANY spiritual dreams, I know when I wake up it was a dream. For something to impact you in such a way to change your whole life, your whole way of thinking has to be something much more profound than a dream or hallucination.

Answer 3

It is impossible to experience God with the mortal mind, therefore if you are closed to the experience it can never happen, however if you have a true God experience, NO it can not be mistaken as hallucination. That would be like saying if you got hit by a bus could you mistake it for a fly.You will get many different and cynical answeres to this question but I say " to the nonbeliever no proof will ever be enough and to the believer no proof will ever be nessescary"

Answer 4

Sure it is possible. Many people who experience a metaphysical event are high or mentally incapacitated in some way.
However, just as this is a possibility, so is the possibility that God is speaking with that person...
so is the possibility that God is using the hallucination to send a message to that person...
so is the possibility that to experience God has some of the same after-effects (sweating, nausea, light-headedness, etc.) of a hallucination...

Once we start saying "is it at least possible...," we have to open it up to ALL of the other "isn't it ALSO at least possible..." events.

Answer 5

Discernment of spirits, and this does not mean just God/devil, but self/God, is important here. This is why it is always advised to have a spiritual director when one does deep mediation. A good spiritual director can tell the difference between someone having a mental illness or illusion and a true mystical experience. As a former mental health therapist and a member of a religious community I can tell you that the main way to tell is this: Look not at the experience but at the rest of the person's life. Are they able to function day to day, have positive relations with other people, etc. The major difference between a psychotic and a mystic is what they are doing when not having the experience.

Answer 6

you're question seems so genuine
there may be other christians that dont agree with what i have to say about it but heres my thoughts on the matter
I believe that at some point every christian has had these kinds of doubts, some more often then others. But I believe that doubts one has in there experience with God is actually the devil using the flesh (the mind or brain) to cause one to have doubts. But if you're spirit (which comes from God) is stronger than your flesh, you know absolutely that you've been with God. Christianity is nothing without faith. Everytime you progress one step forward in your walk with God the devil will do what he has to try and make you take 2 steps backward using temptation or doubt or whatever

Answer 7

Both. The mind does very funny things sometimes, based on your belief in whats happening, your fear, your understanding of the world around you, whether you've had drugs of any sort (caffiene counts), and your stress level.

Want an example? When I was in the hospital after my car accident, I could have sworn my mother was holding my hand. But my mother had been dead over a year. Now, if that isn't a hallucination, I don't know what would be.

Answer 8

Anyone who has truly experienced God can tell. Personally I had experiences induced by hallucinogens that almost seemed like I was in the presence of God. But compared to the time I first experienced the true presence of god (when I was clean for years) it was infinitely more intense and real.

Answer 9

Im not religious, but I do believe that people who experience " a light" or feel a calming presence just before demise, are dealing with the circuitry of the brain and neurological system. So, its my assumption that with all the power that the brain has, if someone has intense faith, they may "experience God" just as someone who is dying of thirst in the desert may "experience" the sight of water.

Answer 10

Research into Near Death Experiences tell us that it is possible to experience things beyond our physical senses, including God like entities.

But the God that they report is not the vengeful and jealous God described by many American Christians.

Very different from the God who President Bush claims told him to invade Iraq