1. Describe what James means by “once born”
2. Describe what “twice born means” according to James
3. What does James mean by the term “piecemeal supernaturalism” and why does he defend it?
4. How does James deal with the question of “origins” when it comes to religious experience?
5. Drawing on examples from the text, what does James mean by the “unification” of the divided self?
6. How does James define religion wand what reason does he give for defining it in this particular way?
7. What is the relation between “self-surrender” and conversion?
8. James writes: “It is that our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.” Explain and elaborate on this passage.
9. How does James deal with the question of “truth” in relation to mystical consciousness?
10. Quoting Leuba, James writes: “God is not known, he is not understood; he is used.” Explain what this means for James.
11. Why is James opposed to medical materialism?
12. Why does James not examine the institutional branches of religion in his book?
13. Provide the page numbers of the testimony that James cites from a “French correspondent” which comes from James’s own experience.
