Some Clarifications of the Nature of Religious Experience in Light of Bernard Lonergan's Hermeneutics of Interiority

This work examines the nature of religious experience, informed by Bernard Lonergan’s hermeneutics of interiority. Specifically, the author argues that instances of “human” love can already implicitly contain “divine” love, and therefore be instances of religious experience. Robert Doran and Jeremy Blackwood’s recent suggestions regarding a fifth level of consciousness (the “level of love”) are examined. This author shares their view that there is complete self-transcendence in both human and divine love, but suggests an alternative to Doran and Blackwood’s ideas on several points. This study distinguishes between phenomenological, psychological, and theological methodological approaches and their corresponding characterizations of religious experience. Confusion on this point might be an important factor behind the extensive debate that this topic has generated in Lonergan studies. Implications of the argument for the debate on a possible fifth level of consciousness as well as for integration of Lonergan’s thought with liberation theology are briefly considered.Master of Arts (MA