Here’s a good post from Christian apologist Clay Jones. He’s talking about how Mormons embrace Mormonism because of a burning in their bosom. (A subjective feeling) In the quote below, I reproduce the main thrust of the post – which he makes as part of his conversation with some Mormon missionaries. If you ever run into Mormons, this might help you.
Excerpt:
I pointed out that the Mormons base the truth of their religion on a subjective personal experience—namely, they base the truth of Mormonism on praying a prayer to ask God whether the Book of Mormon is trustworthy and if they get a warm feeling, which is described in some of their works a “a burning in the bosom,” then they conclude that Mormonism is true. They agreed.
I said that we evangelicals base our faith in historic Christianity on the evidence of Jesus being raised from the dead.
[…]But then I pointed out that the Mormons base their beliefs on a subjective personal experience that has led them to believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that historic Christianity is mistaken, that there was a great falling away, that there are many gods, that Mormons one day believe that they are going to become gods (just the males, actually), and that the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods still function today (they didn’t disagree with even one word of this). I explained that you couldn’t get any of these ideas from the New Testament.
He goes to explain why subjective experiences are unreliable for determining truth.
When facing Mormons, and other cults, I also argue against subjectivism. But I supplement that with evidence. For Mormons, I use scientific evidence for the creation of the universe out of nothing. Mormons think that the matter in the universe existed eternally. They don’t accept the Big Bang theory! So you just roll through the scientific advances, show that the cause of the universe was non-physical, eternal, powerful and endowed with free will (to create an effect in time without antecedent conditions), and that’s the end of that.
I think that people in cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christian Science have similar ways of forming their beliefs. They just filter out evidence falsifying their religion. JWs made all kinds of silly predictions about the end of the world that are not true – they’re false prophets, in other words. And Christian Science thinks that Jesus didn’t actually die, which no credentialed historian believes. (Just like Islam)
WINTERY KNIGHT 
Thought-provoking. Excellent
thanks
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OK, while I’m not a Mormon, I think I can make a case why this is a partial dead end.
Every man who was ever moved by the Holy Spirit to believe in Christ can be tarred with having a “subjective experience”. If you attempt to follow God in your life, (which all Christians should Pro. 3), you are now also relying on what also could be tarred as “subjective experience”.
It is not a complete dead end because this type of apologetics is a buttress to faith in the believer and a tool God may use to undermine the deceptions of the unbeliever.
However, spiritual experience is normative and not wholly located in the analytic faculty. Pascal right in the beginning of the Pensees says that man has the mathematical (analytical) and intuitive mind, and one cannot stand in the for the other.
The thing is these may be experiencing a genuine spiritual experience that isn’t a storm of emotion. Not every spirit is from God. So telling them it isn’t real or it’s unreliable needs to address the analytical and intuitive sides of the man. It may have been real for a Mormon, just not true.
Again this type of apologetics is valuable, but humans aren’t pure software, they don’t “have” to believe anything you tell them. That’s why I think it’s key to listen to how God might be leading you in discussion, He has a better handle on everything this person might need and what you might be able to contribute or not.
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I conisder a feeling is a much lower level of evidence. I agree it is valid.
I can read the spirit of God very strongly at times when I read the Bible, and I believe that is because my spirit is recognizing the word of God and there is a communion there.
Buti dont list that as my reason to believe it is only an affect of my belief.
If I am hungry and I get to eat that feeling goes away it is some proof that food cures hunger. But if I need to get in to whether or not I made a good food choice it may require some study of nutritional and scientific studies to decide.
Pop and chips make the feeling change to my body, but there are better choices to me made. And that is why I say feelings have a lower level of trust or evidence in these matters because it can’t prove why you have the feeling.
A Mormon gets a burning bossom is that due to the spirit of God, a false spirit, do they have indigestion. The feelings leave it up to your own personal choice and are of little value
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That food analogy is excellent, stealing that.
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