An Easter to remember

 

Not long after we came to America, dad wanted to see Florida. So, we went during Easter break—I think it was before college students raised hell. The memories I stored have been reprocessed a few times, but the colourful gist remains.

Dad loaded our things into the boot of his well used two-tone blue Chevy Bel Air and headed south. By the time we reached the Carolina’s, my memories stored images of people and events strengthened by my parent's commentary. A hard-working black man was with a mule in a field. Signs at a roadside stop read “Whites Only”.

Somewhere in the South, people marvelled at how well we spoke English since we hadn’t been in the US very long.

I must have slept a lot. Dad drove all night. We didn’t do hotels, which was a good thing I found out later when dad chose some hovels on future trips.

When we crossed the border—Florida—dad stopped for samples of Florida orange juice. I’m guessing we arrived Saturday because I was red with a helluva sunburn at church the next day. Dad couldn’t skip church even on a holiday. So, what I remember were people in colourful clothes. They were members of a Native American tribe. I’m learning a lot more than I would in school.

Now my parents planned to surprise me. And they did. The Easter egg they packed from New Jersey had not survived the wrath of Florida’s sun god.

Sometime during that sun-drenched visit, I became acquainted with a product called calamine, which was later featured in a song. You see, one memory activates another.

Anyway, I came back to New Jersey with memories of a colourful parrot’s claws on my bright red sore arms and you could see the agony in my face—if you had an old-fashioned slide projector. 

And I had this jumble of other memories too, but some are out of focus.

For some, Easter is about a life hereafter. Perhaps for some, Easter had always been a promise of a better life beyond Jordan. Lord knows you ain’t gettin much of a life behind a mule.

On reflection, I see that I had a better life as a foreign white boy than did some people who had lived here all their lives. Like old black and white photos that only hold colour in my memories, Easter was bereft of meaning for those trapped in a white man’s paradise.

I’ve learned a lot since that Easter. Those memories reframed with adult eyes keep me focused on liberation—not from life, but for helping people get a life in this life. I’m sure there are many ways to do the work of liberation.

There ain’t much use carrying a cross or raving about an empty tomb unless I help someone roll away the stones that entomb their lives. 

Funny how lessons from childhood can be woven into a life-narrative. Innit?

 

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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Relating Science and Theology - Analogies

 

Connecting Faith and Science 2024
Geoffrey W. Sutton & Designer AI

In this post, I consider analogies as an aide to understanding potential relationships between psychology and theology.

I am writing a series of volumes on  the relationship between Christian Theology and Psychology. What's different about my approach is a focus on how the two disciplines are different and ways some Christians have attempted to find a no conflict relationship. The title of the series is: Irreconcilable Differences?

Puzzles

When a theological perspective and a psychological perspective seem close, the puzzle analogy seems apropos. For example, the Genesis creation story seems world's apart from Evolutionary Psychology, but both influence how Christians view human nature. Francis Collins founded the BioLogos website. As a Christian and a scientist (he led the US genome project), he and his colleagues propose a view of Evolutionary Creation. For them, evolution provides the detail explaining God's way of creation. This contribution to the puzzle allows other pieces to fall into place. Evolutionary Psychology builds on the findings of those focused on other aspects of evolution. Theologians and religious scholars offer nonconflicting ways to view the Genesis 1-3 texts. For example, Marcus Borg talks about the poetic form and structure of the 6 days and identified the purpose of communicating just how sacred is the Sabbath Day when even God Himself rested from his work.

Bridges

Bridging the Gap 2024
Geoffrey W. Sutton & Designer AI

When a theological perspective and a psychological perspective on the same phenomenon exists, but they seem far apart, a bridge analogy might make sense. On the one hand, people on one side or both sides of the gap may erect barriers that keep people from building a bridge to crossover. They may even take verbal shots at each other. On the other hand, bridge builders may begin from one side or both sides to construct a working bridge. The bridge may be temporary and only for the few workers. Later, when the gap seems genuinely bridgeable, a more permanent and attractive bridge may be built, which allows for considerable traffic to pass back and forth.

I see faith-based mental health services as being like a strong bridge with many lanes. There are a few people who won't cross that bridge. Before the bridge there was a serious gap, perhaps even a chasm, between biblical approaches to such common difficulties as anxiety and depression and the methods developed by psychological scientists and employed by psychotherapists. Some lanes are traveled by those who trust that there is no conflict between the Bible and mental health so they accept treatment from a licensed professional who, hopefully, relies on evidence-based treatments. But some lanes offer Christian counseling or Christian accommodative psychotherapy, which adds a measure of comfort as patients see how their faith fits nicely (puzzle analogy) with treatment. Forgiveness therapy is a prime example.

Other Analogies

Everett L. Worthington Jr. (2010) illustrates the relationship between psychology and theology as like a marriage. He also illustrated the relationship using the analogy of a dance. Theology and psychology are dance partners. His selection of analogies reflect his experience. He has written about marriage and couple relationships. And he is a skilled dancer. See  Coming to Peace with Psychology.

For ideas relating Christian and psychological views on sexuality, see A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures.  Also on Kindle

Reference

Cite this post:

Sutton, G. W. (2024, March 20).Relating science and theology-analogies. Geoff W Sutton Blog. Retrieved from https://geoffwsutton.blogspot.com/2024/03/relating-science-and-theology-analogies.html 

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 

The Cost of Leaving a Church

 

To leave a Christian group can involve a painful loss. In addition to the pain of condemnation, there is the potential loss of family and friends. For some, it can mean an economic loss. Some may experience grief or grief mixed with relief.

A religious way of life is an investment—a call to commitment (Mt 10:37–38).

 The social psychology principle of sunk costs helps explain why some, but not all, Christians continue to support traditional views about biblical texts and doctrines such as those dealing with creation, morality, or sexuality. In contrast, some Christians seem able to throw off old ways of thinking or behaving with relative ease. 

The notion of sunk costs refers to the way some investors fail to cut their losses from a bad investment. Instead, they pour more money into it hoping for a recovery. It appears to be a part of human nature to conserve what one has rather than take a loss and look for better options.

 

The application of sunk costs to leaving a religious group involves the investment of emotional energy into preserving beliefs and traditions even when people find the old beliefs or traditions no longer make sense to them. 

Some cope with sunk costs by investing time in religious causes or programs; others energetically devour new Christian books as they search for new insights that will reassure them that their faith investment still makes sense. Some Christians find themselves trapped as professors at conservative Christian colleges or leaders in conservative Christian organizations. They continue to invest their lives in these positions rather than take the risk of leaving for a more compatible environment.

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.