What is a religious feeling? Understanding accusations of offending religious feelings.
Friends, I, a priest, am accused of offending religious feelings. Why? Because, following my faith, I do not recognize the truthfulness of other religions. I have been summoned to court, claiming that my words offend those who profess other teachings. But allow me to explain why these accusations are unjust and what a religious feeling truly is. Let us figure it out together—what can be considered genuine religiosity and what is merely its substitute—and why my position does not violate anyone’s spiritual experiences.
What is a religious feeling?
A religious feeling is a deep, internal experience that arises in a believing person when they turn to God, saints, or sacred symbols, such as icons or relics. It is awe, love, hope, or humility directed toward a higher, supernatural reality. For example, when you pray to God or honor a saint, you experience a religious feeling. It is always connected to something greater than yourself—Absolutism, which is perceived as real and sacred.
The Polish philosopher Andrzej Bronk wrote:
“A religious feeling is the response of the soul to the presence of the Absolute, which is perceived as real and objective” (Bronk, A., “The Religious Dimension of Human Existence”, 1998, p. 127).
This means that a genuine religious feeling cannot be directed toward a person or their qualities. If someone says, “I am good and honest,” it is simply self-assessment, not a spiritual experience. A religious feeling is a connection with the divine, not self-admiration.
Józef Maria Bocheński, a renowned logician and philosopher, clarifies:
“Religion begins where a person recognizes the existence of a reality that surpasses their own being and directs their feelings toward that reality” (Bocheński, J. M., “The Logic of Religion”, 1965, p. 45).
In other words, a religious feeling is always directed toward something higher, not toward worldly things or ideas.
What is not a religious feeling?
Now let us figure out what is not a religious feeling. If I, as a priest, say that my faith is the only true one, it is not an offense to your feelings. It is my conviction, based on reason and faith. Evaluating the truthfulness or falseness of any religion is an intellectual process, not a spiritual experience. When I assert that another religious group may borrow elements of cult or teaching, it is not an attack on your emotions but simply an analysis. Criticism or comparison of religious practices has no relation to the awe you feel before God or shrines.
Bocheński warned that pseudo-religious feelings, such as fanaticism, may outwardly resemble religiosity but are actually devoid of humility and true faith:
“Fanaticism, though it may outwardly resemble religious zeal, is distinguished by the absence of humility and rational faith, replacing them with blind adherence” (Bocheński, J. M., “The Logic of Religion”, 1965, p. 89).
If someone perceives my words as an offense, it may be related to emotions but not to a religious feeling in its true sense.
Andrzej Bronk adds:
“When a person elevates themselves or worldly values, such as success or power, into a cult, it is not a religious feeling but its profanation” (Bronk, A., “Religion and Modernity”, 2001, p. 203).
This means that substituting a religious feeling with pride or offense over criticism is not spirituality but something entirely different.
Why does my position not offend?
As a priest, I have the right to publicly profess my faith and state that I consider it true. This does not mean that I deny your right to your own convictions. But a religious feeling is not a dispute about whose faith is correct. It is connected to your personal experience of God, not to my words about your religion. If I say that I do not believe in the truthfulness of another religion, I do not touch your awe, your prayer, or your love for the sacred. I am merely expressing my opinion, based on my faith and reflections.
Bocheński emphasizes:
“A religious feeling presupposes belief in a reality that surpasses the empirical world and is directed toward that reality” (Bocheński, J. M., “The Logic of Religion”, 1965, p. 47).
My criticism or disagreement with other teachings does not affect this reality. Offending a religious feeling can occur, for example, by desecrating a shrine or mocking an object of worship, but not by expressing an opinion about the dogmas of another religion.
What am I calling for?
Friends, let us distinguish between the genuine and the imagined. A religious feeling is your personal, intimate experience of connection with God or shrines. It does not depend on my words or convictions. I, as a priest, defend my right to speak about my faith openly, without fear of accusations of offense. Criticism or comparison of religious teachings is part of the freedom of thought and speech, not an attack on your soul.