Conclusion

Abstract

The concluding section considers the epistemological, hermeneutical, and ontological contributions that the Medjugorje studies make to debates on religious and mystical experiences. Epistemologically, the Medjugorje studies show that it is erroneous to perceive all extraordinary religious experiences through a reductionist interpretation that denigrates such experiences into a natural or pathological understanding. Hermeneutically, the Medjugorje studies show how important it is to have a method that is inductive and constructive-relational in terms of approaching religious experiences. Ontologically, the Medjugorje studies point to the limitations of a metaphysic of naturalism in interpreting reality and to the need to consider other modes of understanding, beyond a narrow materialist or rationalist worldview. The Medjugorje studies bring much-needed reconciliation between the worlds of science and religion, as in Medjugorje immense scientific study has been used to support the integrity of religious visionaries and their extraordinary religious experiences.