Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

In Christian texts, people may be possessed by demons. When possessed they act in ways that scare others and cause harm. The demons speak to other humans. And in response to Jesus Christ, or the apostles, the demons may be “cast out” of a person. In contemporary Christianity, the “casting out” has been known as deliverance or exorcism. Some groups believe that a place may be possessed by evil spirits thus, deliverance or exorcism may apply to both people and places. In general, protestant Christians use the term deliverance and Catholics use the term exorcism and follow a particular process (a rite) of exorcism. The term possessionists has been used to refer to people who believe in the phenomenon of people possessed by evil spirits even if they are not possessed ( Giordan & Possamai, 2016 ). About Devils and Demons A 2016 Gallup poll report indicated that 89% of Americans believe in God, but this is lowered by 10% if given the option that they are not s...

The Scary Season Psychology, Halloween & Mysterious Happenings Halloween is that time of year when some Christians feel anxious about what they ought to do about celebrating Halloween. The holiday costumes vary from the cute to the grotesque. Perhaps what’s most scary for some is the fear of the demonic and supernatural evil. In this post I look at psychological perspectives on Halloween and related topics like Ouija boards and witches. I suggest Christians should get their guidance about how to celebrate the partying from their clergy. _____      Setting aside a day to celebrate evil, darkness, witchcraft, fear, death and the demonic brings disdain to God. Period. A Christian celebrating Halloween would be like a Satan worshiper putting up a nativity scene at Christmas while singing, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" The two just don't go together. Jesus has nothing in common with Satan (2 Cor. 6:14), and neither should we.      - Jamie Morgan (2016) _____ 1...

Clinical Psychology and Theology in Mark This is part two of reflections on psychology and the gospel of Mark. I am focused on stories in Mark chapter 3. See my previous post for a social psychology perspective on group formation in Mark 3. Paralyzed hand 3: 1-6 The healing of the man with the paralyzed hand or arm (depends on translation of cheira ) evokes biblical and psychological imagery. Hands and arms are of course critical to work and personal care. Humans who appear different have often been discriminated against and considered as less than whole or normal. People with disabilities have often borne the brunt of callous humor. And in the time of Jesus, many would wonder if the man’s sin was the reason for his impairment. For not so subtle reasons, hands have been linked to potency or in the case of the withered hand, impotency (Derrett, 1984). So the sexual insult is added to other aspects of being a social outcast. Jesus’ com...

Social Psychology and Theology in Mark 3 I am writing this blog as a reflection on concepts drawn from two major fields of psychology that strike me in my study of Mark 3. In this post I look at social psychology concepts related to group leadership and formation. In the next post I will look at lessons from the perspective of Clinical Psychology. Group Identity Mark opens his gospel with a statement about the identity of Jesus as the anointed one and Son of God (1:1). Who is Jesus? That’s a question offered as guidance on one theme to guide people studying Mark’s gospel (e.g., Martindale ). My focus on group identity comes from a consideration that Mark is writing to people after Jesus has left his earthy ministry. In short, Jesus as leader is no longer visible to his followers. I suggest at least one of Mark’s aims is to identify who Christians are, but perhaps more importantly, who they are not. In this chapter he also identifi...

Raphael, Eusebius of Cremona raising Three Men from the Dead  with Saint Jerome's Cloak (c 1502-3) SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN LEADS TO FEAR OR FUN Seven Scary Themes 1. Surprise! That delightful toddler experience on being found or finding a hiding grandparent; The squeal of faux fright when a family member pops up unexpectedly; The ability to hide within a dinosaur costume or some scary character and get a reaction from play-along adults.      I’m lost! This is a closely related childhood fear of distress when a child can’t find his or her parents. Especially for a child alone in a mall or who wandered off in a large store. Now this fright is available in a corn maze or the darkened halls of a haunted house. 2. I’m scared! What fun to trot out the usual fear-inducing spiders and snakes, create faux thunderstorms, or move people into an enclosed space. Fun, unless you are one of the 27,000,000 Americans that have a specific phobia. ...