Geoff W. Sutton Blog

Forgive? Yes. Reconcile? Maybe. A TODAY story by Rebecca Ruiz has a headline that reads, “How do you forgive a killer? A mother moves past tragedy?” A powerful photo shows Mary Johnson hugging Oshea Israel—the man who murdered her son.  The story includes other examples of people who suffered major hurts but found their way to forgiveness. Last week I referred to the CNNblog about the Piers Morgan interview with Rick and Kay Warren . I wrote about attributions and coping with loss. But there’s more. There’s a story about forgiveness. But not reconciliation. Rick “One of the hard things was forgiving the person who sold him the gun... Because I didn't want to forgive him.” Kay  “I don't want to be tied to that person emotionally for the rest of my life” FORGIVENESS AND RELIGION Most religions include guidance about relationships and a part of that guidance includes the repair of damaged relationships. In the Christian tradition, forgiveness comes from Go...

"I have cried every single day since Matthew died…" September 17, 2013. In an emotional interview with Piers Morgan , Pastor Rick Warren and his wife, Kay responded to questions about their son’s suicide in April 2013. Because he is a well-known Evangelical Pastor, I expect Rick Warren to turn to God for support. But I also expect him to be real. To show his emotions. To be one of us. And he was. And so was Kay. And it was clear that Kay and Rick supported each other. In my previous post I wrote about attributions.  Ironically, I referred to people with a purpose having no clue the author of T he Purpose Driven Life would offer a powerful story a week later. And not surprisingly, I found a mix of attributions as Rick and Kay spoke about the tragic suicide of their son. I also found evidence of another powerful explanatory theory, coping theory . KennethPargament explains coping theory so well in The Psychology of Religion and Coping. Attributions “Every...

How Religious People Create Meaning God let me live for a purpose. I know God has a plan for my life. But for the grace of God, there go I. All things work together for good… That’s a sign from God that we need to repent or ... Religious and spiritual people have attributed life events to God or gods, or other supernatural forces for millennia. Attribution theory is one of the leading social and cognitive psychology theories in the psychology of religion that helps guide research. Attributions explain life events We attribute positive outcomes like winning a game or lottery and getting a plum job and negative outcomes such as vehicle accidents, house fires, and the life changing powerful tsunamis, tornadoes and earthquakes to natural causes or to supernatural interventions. We explain events based on a sense of how it happened. When perplexed, many spiritual people seek answers from God or their spiritual advisers. The clergy appear on TV and issue prono...

10 Reasons to Study the Psychology of Religion Most of the world’s 7-billion people are religious. And religious beliefs and rituals touch so many aspects of life. Regardless of a person’s religious or spiritual beliefs, here are 10 reasons I think all people should study the psychology of religion. 1. Birth . Most people are excited to welcome a baby into the world. Soon after the precious child arrives, the family gathers to celebrate the birth in a religious ceremony. The child may be christened, dedicated, or circumcised. Religious families make a commitment to care for the child and raise the child in their faith. 2. Death . People die and religious people gather to honor the dead in a religious ceremony. The living mourn their loved one but many look to the day when they will be reunited. People who were in pain are said to be better off in a realm beyond death where this is no pain. Friends and relatives of the deceased comfort the mourners with reminders t...