DOES YOUR SPIRITUALITY MAKE SENSE?
Religion & Spirituality | Meaning | Why?
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Psychology of Palm Sunday
Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth went public as a
king. It was the first Palm Sunday. The crowd of supporters cheered as he rode
into Jerusalem. They honored him as a
king ought to be honored with palm fronds and clothes before him and sang part
of an old psalm (118). And the Jewish people welcomed him with expectations of
salvation from Roman oppression. But what they got a week later didn't match
their expectations. It didn't make sense. Jesus never does.
New religious movements pose threats to established
religions. People identified as kings or leaders pose threats to national
leaders. Then as now; people in power use their power to quash minority
movements by attacking their leaders. Then as now; religious leaders join with
political leaders in a combined effort to maintain their way of life. The words
of Jesus were taken as a threat to both those who interpreted the Jewish
religion for the Jews and those who governed the political state. The sign on
the cross, King of the Jews, makes it
clear why the Romans joined the religious leaders to end this threat. A psychological perspective on Palm Sunday and the aftermath invites us to consider the meaning of a threat in religious, cultural, and political situations. But it also important to appreciate threats in any relationship.
Who would believe that from this inauspicious start
Christianity would become the world’s largest religion with over 2 billion
followers? Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and others who study
religion offer different definitions for religion and spirituality. Christianity in one of its many forms provides a comprehensive meaning system for many people. It is one way people transcend nationalism. The same is true for Islam, Judaism, and other religions. Religion as
a meaning system has considerable support. It’s the view I take.
In recent years, people are fed up with organized
religion and identity as spiritual or
none. None can mean they are atheists
or spiritual in their own way. Although most Christians identify as Catholic,
there are numerous Christian groups—some very old like the Orthodox groups and
some very new like Pentecostals and Charismatics. Each offers a different
worldview—a way of making sense of life.
When people are faced with their own threats they often
turn to their faith for answers. Psychotherapists, counselors, and clergy often
hear the cry of people surviving disasters: “Why?” “Why me?” Sometimes they
echo Jesus words: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Christians want
to know God’s whereabouts or purpose when disaster strikes. If you want
someone else’s answer, go on the internet or turn to some religious TV channel.
There’s all kind of folks willing to explain the mind of God to you—makes you
wonder if there are as many gods as there are clergy.
Serious theologians and clergy have responded in many
ways to these difficult questions. The problem of evil is not easily answered. Most draw on the perspective of their
individual Christian tradition to explain evil in the world. Other religions
have different answers. Philosophers have considered the problem as well—within
and apart from a religious tradition. Others make their own way.
There’s something about human nature that demands an
answer to the question, “why?” Life needs to make sense.
Making sense of things has survival value.
Find causal connections among events and you
are better prepared for the future.
There’s an incredibly funny scene in the movie Home Alone. Kevin, the child in the
story, is home alone. One method of protecting himself from the threat of two thieves
is to heat a metal doorknob. As expected, a thief grabs the knob and a letter
is seared into the palm of his hand. The thieves learn quickly. The next time
one reaches for the door they test the knob before grabbing it.
If you know the cause of a painful act then you can
eliminate the source of pain or avoid it. You gain a valuable lesson for the
future. Your pain meant something—you learned a survival lesson. But sometimes things don't make sense.
The problems of life don’t always offer easily understood
connections. And sometimes complex schemes don’t make sense either. As children
my wife and I saw impressive layouts of the end times—someone’s interpretation
of the Bible. Those didn't make sense either. They just scared the hell out of you. Maybe that's what they were meant to do?
Palm Sunday is rich with meaning. The symbols would have
meant one thing to the Jews and another to the Romans. Today they mean other
things to Christians. Packed in one week
are lessons about love and betrayal, the fickleness of human nature and its
capacity for cruelty, fears of death, pain and suffering, and mourning turned
to joy.
We all create meaning in our own way. Some draw more
heavily on what leaders teach than others do. Some speakers are brilliant—others not so
much. But for most human beings, meaning is not just about a sensible set of
explanations. Meaning affects our whole being. A meaningful spirituality is
tied to reality
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| Easter procession, Antigua 2001 by Geoff Sutton |
Some faiths help people cope with tragedy and celebrate
life. Others weigh down the faithful with burdensome rules and rituals. People
leave one faith system and take on another—conversion. Sometimes it’s for
financial reasons. Sometimes it’s for marriage. Sometimes it’s to find a more meaningful
faith. And of course, some give up.
If you are a health or mental health provider I hope you
know that most human beings are religious or spiritual—more than 90%. Unless you are patient
and supportive you may never know the role faith plays in their reason for
seeing you. A simple question about their religion doesn't help much. This increased sensitivity
to spirituality is especially important during times of tragedy. I’ll list two
books as reference works. The handbook (Paloutzian & Park) will introduce you to the psychology of religion. The book about spirituality and trauma (Walker et al.) offers sample questions and measurement tools along with treatment recommendations for integrating faith into the recovery process.
Does your spirituality make sense?
(For clinicians)
Does your patient's spirituality make sense to them?
and
Does your spirituality hinder or help you help them?
Notes
Palm Sunday symbolism. There is a treasure trove of symbols in the Palm Sunday story as well as the other stories leading up to Easter. For starters, Jesus did not come as a warrior king on a war horse. Donkeys were more peaceful animals. The palm fronds and clothes were different ways to show honor. Christians continue these traditions today. Jesus coming out as a king put him at risk as does the coming out that exposes the true identities of people throughout history. Take off the mask, take off the covering, come out of the closet-- people who reveal their identities risk rejection. The religious leaders argued with the Romans about the words on the cross-labels have meaning. There's more.
Bible References
Palm Sunday story: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19;
John 12. Jesus as a Jewish king Zechariah 9:9. “Why have you forsaken…” Matthew
27:46 ESV.
Twitter @GeoffWSutton
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PsychologyReligion
References
Paloutzian, R.F. & Park, C.L. (Eds.) (2013). Handbook of the psychology of religion and
spirituality (2nd ed.). New York, Guilford.
Walker, D. F., Courtois, C.A., and Aten, J.D. (2015). Spiritually oriented psychotherapy for trauma.
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
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