Religious History - Coursework Example

Religious History: An Interview Analysis Scope of this Paper This paper discusses some basic concepts of the Psychology of Religion and attempts to illustrate these concepts using the actual experience of a subject who identifies with a religious tradition who was interviewed by this author. The subject interviewed is a woman by the name of Oralia, 45 years old, divorced, and single mother of a boy. Born and raised a Catholic, she became a Christian at age 17. She is currently active in the ministry in a non-denominational Christian church where she belongs. The transcript of the interview is in the Appendix. Her answers would be used as a reference in the discussion and noted according to the corresponding question, say, Q7 if the sentence refers to her answer to Question 7. Hereafter, she will also be referred to as the “Subject”. The paper is in line with the tradition of several of the psychological schools of thought regarding religion enumerated by Hood (1998). These different schools attempt to address an underlying tension from the apparent divergence between the objects and ends of psychology and religion by using scientific research and empirical data such as that derived from personal interviews. Such apparent divergence results from the fact that while psychologists study phenomena and assume these are real, psychologists who study religion address “an object whose reality can be received only in the state of faith” (Wulff, 1991, p. 32). And as Richards and Bergin (1997) argue, psychological skepticism and religious belief have given rise to the clash between the scientific methods acceptable to psychology (objective scientific data) and religion (subjective and experiential data). By linking theory and experience, this paper attempts to shed some light into the religious experience using concepts of psychology. The discussion will have four parts which answers key issues on the topic of psychology of religion: how a person’s religious orientation is developed, how religion affects life and behaviour, how to cope with religious crisis, and how religion is linked with one’s work. Influence on Religion The intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation model (Allport, 1950) serves as a conceptual basis for this study because the upbringing and family of a person influences the way the person accepts and practices religion. Such influence can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the experience. Examples of extrinsic positive experiences are parents, relations, or friends who practice a vibrant and lovable faith, while intrinsic happiness or having a sense of fulfillment are examples of positive intrinsic experiences. Among the negative experiences are bad example, unnecessary psychological pressure, a failure to understand rules and doctrine, or a lack of or weakening of the faith. Among Catholics, faith is a gift (called a theological virtue) from God that needs to be nurtured and fed as the mind, but if that faith is withdrawn (in times of crisis) or is lost (by a conscious refusal to believe), then the negative intrinsic experience can lead to departure from the Church. The Subject knows the wide spectrum of personal religious experience (Appendix). She was born and raised in a Catholic home and influenced during her growing up years by a grandmother who practiced religion, she describes her spirituality as akin to breathing, and counts her religion and spirituality as defining and giving purpose and direction to her life (Q1). Much of her religious influence is intrinsic, applying her personal norms of acceptance and suspending belief (e.g., in the saints, traditions, rituals, and myths) despite extrinsic pressure from persons of authority such as her grandmother and a priest (Q3). Her relationship with God is personal and based on her confidence in His goodness rather than the result of external habit. She also demonstrated as will be shown in the next section a fiercely independent nature. Search for Truth and Meaning During her growing up years, the Subject had begun questioning the beliefs that others “imposed” on her (Q3). In the interview, the Subject made a distinction between religion and faith: she refers to religion as the structures, organization, interpersonal relationships, and doctrine (Q7, Q8, Q9) and to faith as one’s personal belief and trust in a loving God (Q10). The Subject’s experiences through her growing up years when she conducted her search to establish her values in life were consistent with the reflections of Raboteau (1995) on the development of early American religious experience in history. Her search began with the beginning of her rebellion at age 11 (Q3), her conversion at age 17 (Q6), her journey from one denomination to another encouraged by intimate personal events such as her mystical religious experience at age 20 (Q5), until she found comfort belonging to a non-denominational church (Q7). Having been brought up a catholic is probably one reason why the Subject decided to settle in a non-denominational church. Both churches are open to all, but she finds the church where she currently belongs as less ritualistic and strict than the church where she originally belonged. What is notable is her emphasis on the religious experience as highly personal, and this shows in her respectful and understanding even towards other religions, she also emphasizes that although some organizations or assemblies have given her bad experiences, she attributes this to the behavior of people (Q7) and not to any intrinsic negative or evil factor. As a result, she reflects through her actions and attitudes the things she believes in, and shows through her works the faith that she professes. It is easy to see how she can get this way, because her experience of God’s kindness and mercy is deeply felt, even the result of an intellectual process that attempts to understand events that take place, accepting as coming from God and being a part of His will every experience in life that she went through. The Subject’s strong sense of faith has helped her face the trials from youth to her present status as a single mother working to support her family by working in a faith-based organization. Her strong faith made it an important factor for her success as predicted by Hunt et al. (1975) and as shown by examples of her personal experience. Influence of Religion: Faith and Works The interview with the Subject also revealed one of the important aspects of the psychology of religion: how religion and faith help people as a coping mechanism to face, accept, and overcome difficulties as shown by McIntosh (1995), or Pargament (1997) who demonstrated that people use religion and faith to fight stress. The distinction made by the Subject between religion and faith is rather interesting from a psychology viewpoint: faith is the personal relationship with God that is shown by one’s behavior and attitudes, while religion is a form of expressing that faith through a community or congregation (Q8). Taken together or even separately, religion and faith are acknowledged by the Subject as very helpful to her in coping with grief because religion helps her through the physical and emotional support she gets from or is able to give others, while her faith confirms her belief in an afterlife where she would meet them again or where an eternal reward is waiting (Q4). In either case, intrinsically and extrinsically, her spirituality provided her with a dependable psychological anchor she could use. However, her answer to the same question also reveals how her faith could also hinder the grieving process because of the onset of regret or remorse at not having shared enough with the deceased. There is one apparent inconsistency, though, with the Subject’s claim that she would not try to convert anyone, because this is one of the tasks that is entrusted to every Christian by Jesus Christ (Matthew 28: 19) to make disciples of all nations. Perhaps, what she really meant was that she does not aim to change the religion (denomination, form of worship, or belonging to a congregation) of anyone, but she wants to help everyone grow in the faith by talking about her own experiences of what the Lord has done for her (Q4). The Subject was rather emphatic in her declaration that religion helps her cope with stress (Q9) and impacts on her behavior, helping her in her personal interior struggle to develop as a moral person, someone who tries to do at all times what is according to God’s righteousness (Q8), and which has helped her keep her wits about her at the most terrible moments of her life (Q10). She attributes her sense of exterior and interior peace and calm to her personal relationship with God who gave her the faith that helps her make decisions. This is what can be called the desire to do the will of God and provides such certainty and a sense of security that can be difficult to explain, especially to people who do not share the same faith. The Subject admits that her religion and faith keep her from getting depressed because she casts her worries to the Lord, and this helps her maintain harmony of mind, body, and soul, feeding her as she grows in spirituality and love for God and others, a love that she continues to nurture in her work for a Presbyterian organization that provides service to society as part of its ministry. This shows the Subject’s experience as consistent with one of the reasons why the subject of religion is becoming more interesting not only for psychologists but also for social scientists, because it explains a lot of objective results, for example why people continue to do good things to others even if they (those performing the act) may not derive any external or material benefit. The Subject’s claim that “God justifies (us) in what (we) do” can help explain this side of human behavior, because the sense of accountability can exist even without any obvious physical basis (that is, someone watching over your shoulder) because it is the inner consciousness of an existent God who knows everything that guides them. Conclusion Through the application of key points taken from an interview with the Subject, this paper was able to show the link between theoretical concepts and actual experience related to the psychology of religion. The drama of the Subject’s experience through the divorce is a fitting climax of how religion helped form her intimate personal view of God and other people. While even her pastor and those from her congregation persecuted her so badly because of the divorce, the message of a kind, merciful, and understanding God who loves those who go through a divorce even if He did not like the divorce process made her conclude that God is loving and non-judgmental and wants to win us over and over again. The Subject of the interview is a psychologically stable and mature woman at peace with herself, her family and friends, and everyone else around her because after years of experience and searching, she has found security in her spirituality. Her religion and faith influence her being, inside and outside, her decision-making, moral thinking and behavior, and coping with all the challenges that this world has to offer. She is at peace because she feels blessed, appreciated, and understood by a loving God whom she loves in return. Postscript: The author would like to add a short personal prayer on the recent tragic events in Virginia Tech: “May the event help unite instead of divide us; May it help us understand the psychology of religion better and learn to respect those who do not believe the same way we do so that we avoid the tragedy from happening again in the future; And may everyone who suffered from the tragedy derive something good from the experience by understanding with faith why God in His divine wisdom and goodness allowed it to happen”. Reference List Allport, G. W. (1950). The individual and his religion. New York: Macmillan. Hood, R. W. Jr. (1998). Psychology of religion. In W. H. Swatos, Jr. and P. Kvisto (Eds.) Encyclopedia of religion and society, pp. 388-391. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira. Hunt, L.L. and Hunt, J. (1975). Religious factors in secular achievement among blacks: The case of Catholicism. Social Forces, 53 (4), 595-605. McIntosh, D. N. (1995). Religion as schema, with implications for relation between religion and coping. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 5, 1-16. Pargament, K. (1997). The psychology of religious coping: Theory, research, and practices. New York: Guilford. Raboteau, A.J. (1995). A fire in the bones: Reflections on African-American religious history. Boston: Beacon Press. Richards, P. S. and Bergin, A. E. (1997). A spiritual strategy for counseling and psychotherapy. Wash., DC: American Psychological Association. Wulff, D. W. (1991). Psychology of religion: Classic and contemporary views. New York: Wiley. Appendix: Interview Transcript Person Interviewed: Oralia Age: 45 Q1. What function does religion/spirituality serve in your life? It defines who I am as a person. Second, it defines my purpose in life, I use it as a guide to direct me or steer me in the right direction I don’t do anything without it. I make decisions based on what God is trying to tell me. Q2. What were the most important determinants of your adult religion? What I look for is something with common ground, similar values. I chose this religion as a teenager (non-denominational). It’s hard to draw a correlation to my religion because I place more emphasis in my faith. But asking me this is asking me why I breathe. It is a natural and integral part of my life. It’s like if I deny my faith I don’t’ know who I would be or who I would become, that is how ingrained it is in my life. When God reveals himself to you nothing shakes you and you are grounded in what you believe. I don’t do anything out of fear but out of my relationship with him. Q3. What were your beliefs about God during childhood? How have those beliefs changed over time? Who was instrumental in your religious development? How so? I believed that I existed, was raised Catholic. A lot of people believed in Saints and very ritualistic but I never believed in Saints (emphasis on Saints instead of God), never did in childhood. More focused on a relationship with God than with a Church, less traditions, more interpersonal relationships. Grandmother, introduced us (siblings) to church, parents didn’t take us to church. Became a part of our everyday life and because of her I went to church. Holy Communion I did b/c Grandma said it was important and had to. Second person, a priest in charge of Youth group at church I attended. When I began to find literature about stuff contrary to catholic religion. So you asked the priest is this true about rapture, beast, 666. Every time at the retreat he avoided me every time I asked him about it. Someone that was close to my family and was very nice but was. Finally said that night is the rapture true? HE got angry and pointed in my face and said it depends what bible you read. And I thought I’m never going to speak to you again and thought there is another bible. This prompted me to start searching for other religious materials (other bibles) surely if he said if there are other bibles there must be others. At the beginning he had a big influence on me in regard to faith (age 11) First priest to ask if he could have a bible study at my house. Mom doesn’t go to church or practice faith but allowed him to come over and invited all the youth. Kept saying “you have to believe in God” I interrupted and asked if there was even a God. Everyone got upset and said we believe just because we do. The priest calmed everyone down and said she is right how do we know? I later said that I gave him a teachable moment and he saved my life. Q4. In what ways has your faith helped (or hindered) you in the process of grieving? Because of the way I believe and my belief in internal (eternal?) life and happens at the point of conversion (accepting Jesus as Lord) When a person dies and they are a Christian, they are in my future. I grieve more for those who are not Christians, and grieve less for those who are because I know I will see them again. It really helps to share this message with others grieving for both me and others. Hindered: when I was unsure about a person spiritual condition and was confident about the forgiveness of God and hurt me because I didn’t say anything to them when they were alive. I don’t’ try to convert anyone but share what the Lord has done for me. Q5. Have you ever had a religious or mystical experience? What was it like? In what ways were you changed by the experience (if at all)? Yes; and this was the one that influenced me and called me to the ministry. 1982 I was invited to a youth conference in San Antonio. 3000 youths there and went with my church. I was already a Christian. Prayed to God that young people pray….Father God if you are calling me then you are going to have to show me a big sign. Nothing happened until the last day and session of conference. Preacher from River Oaks Baptist Church and a musician singing. When the guy was singing about Jesus and his apostles sitting by the campfire, I looked up at the ceiling and saw a vision of the song playing out. A bearded men sitting around a fire, got scared and looked down and said I didn’t see that. Dome ceiling and decided to take another peak, I see Jesus crucified and hanging on the cross. Such a horrific scene and just looked like a lump of flesh on the cross. I was terrified and wanted to run out but I felt this hot sensation in the top of my head and through my feet and was gone. I was so scared and I heard the pastor (time stood still) and said if any of you have received a calling from the Lord please stand up. I stood up, I thought everyone saw what I saw and only 10 people were standing up and I was shocked that everyone was not standing up because I thought everyone saw it. There were no counselors there for me when I walked to out and I began to tremble uncontrollably (my whole body). My minister comes out (Richard Roach), saw me trembling and asked me what happened and I didn’t want to tell him because I told him you would think I am crazy. He said even Moses trembled when he stood before God. I eventually told him what happened and said he knew I would be called to the ministry. Later I realized that the heat I felt was the Holy Spirit. Q6. Have you undergone a conversion? What was that like? Yes, I was 17. Senior in high school and was invited to a church revival. Evangelist was in a wheelchair and he told about crucifixion of Jesus. At the end when he made the call I went up because I felt why would this man die or endure what he went through but I began to understand he deliberately did it for humanity. Felt he was worth getting to know and Evangelist Jesus wants me to know him. That day I became a Christian and I went home and prayed, sat on the edge of my bed and introduced myself to him and said my name and told him all about me. Joined a Baptist Church but had doubts because the Catholic Church is such a part of my life and tradition that I felt I had to make sure before I officially converted to another faith, I went to one last Mass. I could not hear anything, didn’t get anything out of the sermon, was so distracted but when I went to Baptist church nothing distracted me and I felt like I was being fed spiritually. At 17 becoming a Baptist caused me to lose my family and for years I had little contact with my family (year and half) I was all alone; they changed the locks on the door, grandmother told me to keep my religion to myself. But I wouldn’t let go of what I found and God protected me. I gave up a lot to be the person I am now. It is not a religion but a relationship with God. Now my family is Christians. Had no idea how bad it would be and my dad blamed me for bad business and mom blamed me for bad marriage and it was so much for a young person to handle. But it was worth it to find out the truth and learn the Bible. Q7. To what religious organizations have you belonged? What have your experiences with religious organizations been like? Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Church, currently Non-Denominational and work for Presbyterian organization. Experiences vary; some have been good and bad, some nurturing and some shockingly disappointing, but I attribute that to how people behave differently. I would rather not belong to anyplace but the Lord has said don’t’ forsake the assembly of yourselves, the Church serves a purpose. Q8. In what ways do you believe that your religion impacts your morality? I believe we are the righteousness of Christ and God. I live by what I believe what is God’s righteousness. My morality is impacted because I try and do things the way God would. There needs to be a distinction because religion is different from my faith. My faith directly impacts my morality and in a sense dictates the decisions I make. Not that all my decisions have been moral, but I have continued to develop into this mindset. Q9. In what ways has your faith aided (or failed) you in responses to stress? Has religion been more helpful at some times than others? Always has helped me because there is a scripture that says cast all your cares upon the Lord and that is what I do. I may pray I am not sure what to do with so and so and I give it to the Lord and when I do that my stress is alleviated immediately. I am placing my faith in the Lord and my faith has never failed me. No, the problem is with religion is people tact on labels, you are automatically categorized (stereotyped) those labels have not been helpful to me and hinder you and have spent most of my life telling people I am a Christian first. Religious labels can pigeon hole you. Q10. What impact has religion had on your mental health? I totally depend on my faith. I believe God gave us a sound mind, if I am feeling a bit insane I remind myself of this. He said we have the mind of Christ and to renew your mind, (New Testament says to renew our minds to God’s way of thinking about myself). If he doesn’t see my sin then why should I dwell on it. I know that my slate is wiped clean. With this mindset depression is not an option and it helps me with very healthy coping mechanisms. My faith provides a harmony, mind, body and soul, feed my body (staying healthy), feed my mind (knowledgeable), spirit (feed through the Lord with good mental health) helps me keep it all together. My divorce was the most stressful time of my life. What has bothered me was that I was totally dependent upon the Lord, when people looked at me and saw I was not depressed or upset all the time, they didn’t understand and realized this came from me being totally depended upon the Lord and my faith. God was merciful to me and was not angry with me. He told me to “get up from there and move on, your son needs you”. Because of this my son didn’t suffer from depression or great hurt. The church turned their back on me because when I met with my pastor (Baptist Church) he told me I would need to seek something more than what I had told him to get a divorce that would be justified in the eyes of God. But the Holy Spirit prompted me to remember that God justifies you in what you do. Like going in court and saying Oralia is not guilty. If what we believe is true then my divorce is covered under what Jesus hung on the cross for and that sin was justified when I became a Christian and wiped my slate clean. The pastor and church persecuted me so badly…God spoke to me and said “No, I don’t like divorce but I do love you”. Religion will persecute you but God would not. Read More