Henry More as a Critic of “Charismatic Religiosity”

Abstract

The paper addresses the conflict between two types of religiosity, which is typical for all “religions of Revelation”; that is the conflict between “regular religiosity” which bases on some sacred texts and their interpretation by established authorities and “charismatic religiosity” the cornerstone of which is personal spiritual experience and the revelations of leader, who takes the place of the “founder” traditionally honored in the frame of regular religion. The research focuses on the clash between Protestantism (young but already undergone “regularization”) and radical groups, born in its wake and represented charismatic type of religiosity. The contribution of Cambridge Platonist Henry More (1614‒1687) to the development of comparative typology of contemporary religious groups and the creating of terminology for describing their peculiar features is discussed.