RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF SEMANTIC ANALYSIS
Sophia Human and Religious Studies Bulletin January 1, 2026 Alexander Sarapin
The article proposes a solution to the problem of identifying the semantic potential of religious experience, arguing against psychologism and mere description. Using hermeneutic and comparative methods, it examines the semantic history of religious experience in the works of Schleiermacher, James, Otto, Wach, and Eliade. Schleiermacher's focus on inner experience initiated a subjectivist trend. The later authors exhibit a semantic binarity between subjectivization and objectivation. Two methodological strategies are identified: one treats religious experience as the confessional filling of an individual's inner world; the other treats it as confessional awareness arising from inclusion in a religious tradition. The first strategy inadequately conceptualizes religious experience, while the second offers optimal interpretations. Further development of both strategies is recommended.