Jung's Thoughts On God: The Religious Depths Of Our Psyches

Book Summary

C. G. JUNG has been called an atheist, a modern Gnostic/heretical theologian, and a critical philosopher. He viewed himself as an empirical psychologist, but he was born to a Christian minister's family and raised in close proximity to the church. His childhood memories were of his early perceptions of God. One of the more appealing aspects of C. G. Jung's work is his exploration of the religious instinct -- the images that rise up from the depths of the psyche -- that part of our nature that is independent from the conscious mind. Jung does not argue the existence of God, but examines the God-image in our religious texts. While other psychologists of his time were concerned with behavior and having their clients fit into society, Jung was interested in helping people recognize the spiritual journey to wholeness. An increasing number of psychologists today are acknowledging the relevance of spirituality for psychological health, and for them, and others who are interested in C. G. Jung's concepts, this book is an important resource. Dyer has organized hundreds of Jung's references to God so that readers can have ready access to Jung's thoughts regarding the existence of God, the essence of God, the God "personality", acts of God, our personal relationship with God, and God and the Psyche. He also includes a chronology of Jung's writings on God. Jung said that we can realize God through the psyche -- that all human beings have a religious instinct, a longing for wholeness, that God is a part of every human being. Jung was the son of a Christian minister; his work is full of references to humanity's relationship to God, ranging from the Old Testament contacts to modern day mystical experiences. Dyer organizes more than 6,000 references to "God" in Jung's works, and provides an overview of how we look at God.

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