Freud and Faith: Living in the Tension

by Kirk A. Bingaman

Overview

Whether Sigmund Freud's theory precludes serious engagement with psychoanalytic theory for those professing faith in the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition has been controversial for years. Coming to terms with Freud's theory has proved difficult for religious believers because of his stance that religious faith is little more than psychological projection. Building on the work of philosopher and theologian Paul Ricoeur, psychoanalyst Ana-Maria Rizzuto, and feminist theorist Judith Van Herik, author Kirk A. Bingaman demonstrates that it is possible and even advantageous for believers to hold their religious faith in dialectical tension with psychoanalysis. Bingaman shows how Freud's critique of religion can enrich and strengthen, rather than destroy, the faith of the believer. What emerges from the author's argument is a creative method for living within the emotional and spiritual tension that develops whenever our belief system is challenged or disrupted.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791487198
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Kirk A. Bingaman is Director of Satellite Offices for the Lloyd Center Pastoral Counseling Service, an Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Diane Jonte-Pace

Introduction

Background
Different Fields and Disciplines
Methodology

1. Freud’s Interpretation of Religion

The Defining Moment of Development
Gender Asymmetry
The Need for Religion
Religion’s Primitive Beginnings

2. What Freud Can and Cannot Teach the Religious Believer

The "Text" of Consciousness
The "Text" of Religious Faith
Faith and Personal Transformation
The Limitations of a Freudian Interpretation

3. The Psychical Role of God

The Freud of Object Relations, the Oedipus Complex, and Family Relations
The Freud of Science, Intellect, and Reality
The Importance of Psychical Reality

4. The Relation Between Religious and Gender Psychology

Masculinity and the Reality Principle
Femininity and the Pleasure Principle
Femininity and Religious Faith

5. Beyond Either-Or: Toward a Constructive Reengagement with Freud

Methodological Strategies
Something Resembling Psychical Splitting?

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index