Abstract / DOI
From Religious Magic to Mystic: How to Mature in Belief. This essay is a reflection on the different roads that lead to a fully developed and mature belief. On the way to a mature faith the believer lives and suffers through the various stages of the history of religions from magic to mystic. Such a development in stages is also found in the bible’s idea of man and God. Most people mature by grasping their belief intellectually and affectively, by having spiritual experiences and reflecting them individually. Moreover, being able to deal with suffering is a central aspect of a mature belief and spirituality.