As a former atheist, neither of those scenarios bothers me in the least bit. Then again, my faith isn't primarily built on the concept of 'religious experiences', unlike some on this forum. I have had experiences that I might regard as genuinely religious if I so chose (which I do), but they are inconsequential to my decision to believe.
Regardless, I generally don't let other people's experiences threaten my own self--I'm not that insecure--but, if someone has a genuine religious experience that 'contradicts' (
) my own beliefs, I tend to view it as an issue of interpretation and application rather than of fundamental substance. I'm of the one-God-many-faces (anchored by a fundamental reality and mandate) school of thought on the matter, so what may be a contradiction for jmfcst might not be a contradiction for me. I'm sure I'm a heathen for saying that.
Also, I don't believe that religious experiences happen to everyone, or at least that they occur at vastly different frequencies between people. Furthermore, what actually qualifies as a genuine religious experience greatly varies from person to person. What I might consider to be a spiritual experience, another might miss or interpret differently. I don't see this as an act of cognitive dissonance.
