VISIONARY EXPERIENCES & RELIGIOUS TRAUMA

After several people shared their visionary experiences with me recently, I read a post along the same lines on social media the other day that almost made me reply with charges of blasphemy. I refrained from drafting a direct response, in order to avoid getting into some senseless internet debate, and decided, rather, to write this short reflection.

About one-third of the Jewish and Christian scriptures describe dreams and visions, and they seem to be one of Holy Spirit’s favorite ways to communicate (e. g. Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17). Probably because there is something about visual imagery that often reaches deeper into our hearts than mere language and calls forth an equally deeper response. Also, I always thought that this was the reason that Jesus taught primarily in parables.

Personally, I am no stranger to such experiences but tend to downplay them (2 Corinthians 12:1-6), also because there can be the danger of creating an atmosphere of super-spirituality, as I’ve seen those gifted in certain areas exploit the insecurities – knowingly or unknowingly – of those gifted in other areas – often for the sake of establishing a “ministry” (Colossians 2:18-19).

Even among those who would otherwise confess the “priesthood of all believers” are some who set themselves up as more spiritual than their siblings. (For example, the claim that while the “average” individual sees “pictures,” they differentiate their more celestial “visions,” thereby subtly creating a hierarchy of divine proximity.)

While each one of us is on our own journey, we can’t use our experiences as a claim to our own superior spirituality. In fact, such an attitude is directly opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and someone who has learned to abide in the Vine (John 15:4-11) will not boast about their revelations, but rather manifest the childlike qualities of utter dependence on Abba’s love (Matthew 11:25-28).

Hence, even the Apostle Paul decided to know nothing among the super-spiritual Corinthian community of faith, but Messiah, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-14), Whose Grace manifests in our raw humanity (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Because our spirituality is so intertwined with our general experience of being human – taking the incarnational reality of life in the Spirit seriously – our imagination plays an important part in visionary experiences. And while the majority of Western cultures often dismiss it as something intangible, other cultures – like the ones in which the biblical writings and many of our faith practices emerged – value it as an integral part of one’s spirituality.