Dear Gerald and all,
I see spirituality (or what some people call God) as the part of us that
motivates us on to self-improvement and really living life as opposed to
settling back and the part that supports us in times of trouble as a sort of
inner guide tuned into general consciousness (a sort of global common sense) .
Conventional religions seem to me to just give this energy a personal form
and the rest is what people have done to it for self-aggrandisement. Some of
the inductions to suicide bombers seem to be no more than hypnotic inductions
to escape from a troubled earthly life! But I am probably being very
controversial and at risk of diganosis of madness......!!!
Audrey
>===== Original Message From Discussion on theoretical and research issues in
counselling psychology <[log in to unmask]> =====
>Hello Ian
>Ah an honest man. Well potty I shall have to remain, as there seems to be no
known cure :-)
>
>I do agree with you that the area of religion and delusional belief is vexed.
For very many years now I have been interested in how the suppression of
psychic ability can manifest as so called mental illness. The medium standing
on stage hearing voices is often one removed from the person in the mental
hospital who is saying that he/she can see the devil. Which brings me to an
interest that I shared with the late Dr Arthur Guirdham, Consultant
Psychiatrist to Bath AHA. Is evil an entitiy in its own right? Certainly
Arthur would have it that in some cases of obsessional neurosis the patients
psyche is actually attempting to ward off the effect of malign influence.
Two of his books 'Obsession' and 'A Foot in Both Worlds' may interest you.
>
>I have no belief in established religions myself and no belief in God as some
form of 'Man in the sky' Which is, I tend to think, how many people conceive
of God whether totally conscious of it or not. I think that such people need
to examine their unresolved issues with their fathers then perhaps they would
stop projecting such images.
>
>My intolerance of religion and its advocates does me no credit as I find
religious belief childish and irritating. Maybe I should look closer at
myself here! At the end of the day we really do not know answers to our many
questions. Maybe the constant runinating on God/religion is a way of
expressing the sexual desire for union with the father. Who knows?
>
>Kindest
>Gerald
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ian <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 28 March 2003 18:41
>Subject: Re: Challenging Beliefs
>
>
> Gerald,
> I still think you are potty. I know you have disagreed with me at least
twice over the past couple of years so it must be true!
> Seriously though, which aspect of this interests you? The whole area of
religion and its relationship to delusional belief is a difficult and vexed
one for me. The ethics of it are especially hard I think.
>
> Ian
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion on theoretical and research issues in counselling
psychology [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of G.F. Phillips
> Sent: 28 March 2003 17:26
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Challenging Beliefs
>
>
> Pat/Ian
> I'm getting interested in this thread. Skipping through them at the
moment as I'm out later. You're both giving me food for thought, particularly
as I (think I've told people this before) have been a medium and spiritual
healer since being a toddler.
> Fortunately it didn't interfere with my psychoanalyses 1st Freudian
2nd Kleinian. Mind you I think the analysts considered me somewhat potty at
first :-)
> Best
> Gerald
> -----
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