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Originally Posted by Seawolf
I imagine most if not all religions have their own spiritual experiences. When someone has a different experience than our own, it doesn't mean they don't have true realization. Hindus experience samādhi, Christian's experience Jesus or the Holy Spirit, and New Age experience source or their true selves. Belief is not separate from the experience, it's the foundation of it.
Someone doesn't have to actively believe to have a spiritual experience. The environment where they're raised will give plenty of input that contributes to how it's experienced and interpreted.
When a person has the experience it's likely going to reflect ideas of their culture, and the New Age idea of source or a realized true self is part of this culture. All the information given by society and stored in the unconscious mind is plenty of input to produce an experience in alignment with that culture. The experience doesn't necessarily come from 'out there', but is likely very much a part of society around us.
That doesn't invalidates anyone's experience. It makes it meaningful to the person. Because it's in alignment with the beliefs that part of the world, it will feel 'right' to that person.
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Yes I agree, the experience itself isn't Enlightenment, no matter what the experience was, be it experiencing Christ, the Buddha or whatever, that isn't what IS, what IS is above words and mere religious concepts.