Religion has had a profound affect on the development of societies through the ages. It has influenced individuals and cultures. Three philosophers that have concentrated on the meaning of religion and the religious experience are Radhakrishnan, Nishida, and Carol Christ. Radhakrishnan and Nishida both share the same idea that religious experiences are important. On the other hand Carol Christ believes that religion and its experiences denigrate the female and thereby cancel any positive effect for women.
             Radhakrishnan, an Indian philosopher, believed that experience was the "soul of religion." These experiences occur rarely and go beyond ordinary everyday life. These experiences unify the subject or object, they cannot be put into speech, they do not require verification outside themselves, and the experience is taken as serene or satisfying. Anyone who attempts to describe the experience falsifies its content. Radhakrishnan believes that God is too great for words. Since religious experiences cannot be put into words they are impossible to analyze. Those who attempt are trying to do something that cannot be realized in fact.
             When evaluating a religious experience Radhakrishnan feels we must distinguish between the given and the interpreted elements. This is because our interpretation depends on how we were raised and our beliefs. Radhakrishnan believes that Buddhism went the farthest when trying to accomplish this. Buddhists believe that nothing more can be said about a religious experience. This religion concentrates on the inward life of the spirit and becoming the spirit.
             Nishida, a Japanese philosopher, takes a pantheistic view on religion. He believes religious experiences are direct experiences of God. Instead of God ruling from an outside universe, Nishida believes that God is in everyone and everybody. This allows one to develop a closer relationship with God since he is a part of you and you...