Reimagining God and Religion: Essays for the Psychologically Minded by Wright Jerry R

Author:Wright, Jerry R. [Wright, Jerry R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chiron Publications
Published: 2018-02-24T16:00:00+00:00

ESSAY NUMBER SEVEN

REIMAGINING JESUS AND CHRIST (Part II)

The Self (or Christ) cannot become conscious and real without the withdrawal of external projections. (Jung)

T he previous essay explored the dynamics of psychological projection underlying how and why the religious teacher, Jesus, was granted the name Jesus Christ; and, secondly, the necessity of separating the proposed unconscious merger that resulted in that familiar Christological designation and personal name. Drawing on the insights of analytical psychology, we noted the distinction between history and myth and, paraphrasing Jung, the necessity of withdrawing projections from the historical or metaphysical Jesus in order for the archetypal Christ to incarnate more fully in and through us, as it did in and through Jesus. This vital necessity was placed under the larger umbrella of promoting more consciousness in general and religious consciousness in particular. The urgent call for an expansion of consciousness extends not only to Christians but to all religious who remain in the grip of the monotheistic myth, which, I propose, has lost its capacity to nurture the modern mind and ancient soul.

What follows is a beginning attempt to differentiate the historical person, Jesus, and the archetypal image, Christ, and to express some of the immediate implications of such when viewed through an analytical or Jungian psychological lens. The imaginative effort, far from definitive, academic, or doctrinal, will hopefully stir the imagination of the reader as part of the larger task proposed in these Essays to “Reimagine God and Religion .” As proposed, the monotheistic myth—replete with an external, supernatural, interventionist deity favoring a specific religious tribe with authoritative sacred texts applicable to all for all times—has lost its capacity to nurture both mind and soul for more and more spiritual seekers. This means that most of the traditional theological and Christological meanings and interpretations of Jesus and Christ are no longer relevant. When considered psychologically, however, many discover a wealth of meanings that may sustain in this thin place (See Essay “Thin Places and Thin Times” ) between the death of the old myth(s) and the hopeful birth of the new. These essays are intended to fertilize the imagination both to receive and to create food for soul in these perilous times.

Rather than trying to reform, revive, or revitalize Christianity and the Church, and the monotheistic myth on which they rest, my primary interest involves identifying the psychological or archetypal dynamics at play with the most revered religious personage in Western religious history and arguably one of the three or four in all religious history. This analysis of Jesus and Christ could provide essential psychological wisdom needed for the future religious myth that will be co-created by the archetypal unconscious and the human imagination. Specifically, attention is drawn to the mysterious processes of psychological projection, which play a hidden role in the emergence and formation of all religions, past and future (See Essay “Projection and Revelation” ).

The bullet-point format is chosen for conciseness and clarity around some of the most familiar and important traditional theological and Christological formulations.

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