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<\/a>Torben Bergland, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and medical doctor, attracted both a large audience and stimulated much discussion with his summary of significant issues in the difficult conversation between psychology and religion during the last 100 years.<\/p>\nDr Bergland, Health Director for the Trans-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists, began with an overview of the ideas of Freud who depicted faith in a heavenly Father God as a \u201cblissful hallucinatory confusion\u201d adopted by those unable to face the challenges of adult experience. Freud suggested that the 11th commandment of religion is, \u2018Thou shalt not question\u2019. Dr Bergland went on to look at different pictures of faith. The American philosopher William James suggested that true religion is a human response to a personal recognition that \u2018there is something wrong with us as we stand\u2019 from which we are saved by connection with a higher power giving us \u2018an assurance of safety and a temper of peace\u2019.<\/p>\n
Dr Bergland paid extended attention to James Fowler\u2019s religious types and described the different religiosities of native American religions, some based on fear, some on love. He described how William Meissner looked at open religious systems which are friendly to the world and hospitable to egalitarian relationships and closed systems based on unquestioned authority and response to perceived threat.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aYTNj_qJbug&feature=youtu.be<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>The German social psychologist, Erich Fromm, suggested that authoritarian religion was based upon a paralysing human surrender to an omnipotent, omniscient God. He differentiated it from humanistic religion centred around a response to a more humanistic divinity interested in maximum human development. Dr Bergland suggested that, in his experience, the former, more immature religion develops a love of God based on human need, the latter is more likely to be motivated by love and admiration for God.<\/p>\n<\/a>American psychologist Gordon Allport examined religion with an extrinsic, utilitarian orientation which asks the question, \u2018What\u2019s in it for me?\u2019 Religion with a more intrinsic orientation is more generally reflective and develops an integrated faith as a considered response to the whole of life. A great deal of research, it seems, shows that \u2018extrinsic religion correlates with more dysfunctional psychological constructs.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>Finally, Dr Bergland looked at personal experience of God. \u201cReligion is not just about teaching,\u201d he said, \u201cit is very much linked to our personal history. The two most important questions are, \u2018Who is your God\u2019 and \u2018Who are you?\u2019 We become who we believe we are.\u201d He showed how levels of security, anxiety, fear and avoidance in human attachments are echoed in similar relationships with God. He observed that most people have a positive image of Jesus, but many people struggle to transfer that image on to their picture of God.<\/p>\n<\/a>In conclusion, Dr Bergland shared his own definition of mature faith. \u201cIt is a true understanding of God in whose image human beings are made. The fruits of that faith are what the Apostle Paul listed: \u2018love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>In the 45-minute question and answer session, the 70-strong audience, one of the largest ever for a Diversity Lecture, responded with an inter-generational, multi-cultural, and religiously diverse discussion of the nature of faith, continuing long after the formal lecture finished! [ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n
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