Psychology of religion

[henrikhank]

Laudetur Jesus Christus!
I am very interested in Psychology of religion. I would like to study this most interesting subject. Here’s a text from a Swedish Christian who is an expert on this subject: owewikstrom.se/2002/03/29/the-silence-of-god/

What does the Catholic Church teach on this subject?

 

[Jesus_123]

+In essence . . . Sacred :bible1: Scripture approaches this subject thoroughly re Catholicism . . . for “religion” for Catholics is nothing less than an intimate personal relationship with God through . . . Jesus . . . the Blessed Christ of God . . . God the Son Incarnate . . .

God’s Holy :bible1: Word presents both our . . . Living Wonderful God . . . and man before his fall in the garden when he walked and talked in all holiness with his Creator and his **God **. . . and after as man in his fallen sinful state of separation from God . . . as objects to study and learn about . . . a fascinating way to study the subject is to take two different colored markers and use one to highlight all references to . . . God . . . so as to understand Him more fully . . . and the other to highlight all references to . . . man . . . in whatever particular passage you are studying . . . I highly recommend you study and read The Catechism of the Catholic Church to get fuller psychological understandings . . .

Link: old.usccb.org/catechism/text/entiretoc1.shtml

A simplified excellent treatise on the subject is contained in the . . . Baltimore Catechism . . . quoted below . . .

The Purpose of Man’s Existence

Lesson 1 from the Baltimore Cathechism

1. Who made us?
God made us.

:bible1: In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1)

2. Who is God?
God is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect, who made all things and keeps them in existence.

:bible1: In him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

3. Why did God make us?
God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.

:bible1: Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:9)

4. What must we do to gain the happiness of heaven?
To gain the happiness of heaven we must KNOW, LOVE, and SERVE God in this world.

:bible1: Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth; where the rust and moth consume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven; where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

5. From whom do we learn to KNOW, LOVE and SERVE God?
We learn to KNOW, LOVE, and SERVE God from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who teaches us through the Catholic Church.

:bible1:* I ***have come a light into the world that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:46)

**6. Where do we find the chief truths taught by ***Jesus Christ *****through the Catholic Church?
We find the chief truths taught by ***Jesus Christ ***through the Catholic Church in the Apostles’ Creed.

:bible1: He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16)

7. Say the Apostles’ Creed.

---

The Apostles Creed****

I believe in **
God,**
the Father Almighty,
Creator
of heaven and earth,
and in ***
Jesus Christ, ***
his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the **
Holy Spirit,**
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of **
God the Father Almighty;
from there he will come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the **
Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Link to Baltimore Catechism: catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson01.html​

. . . all for Jesus+​

 

[Jesus_123]

. . . :coffeeread: . . .
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

Article 2 - THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

81
Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Article 3 - SACRED SCRIPTURE

104
In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it ** not** as human word, "but as what it really is, the Word of God."

**In the sacred books,
the Father who is in heaven
comes lovingly to meet his children,
and talks with them. **

:bible1: “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand …” Psalms 139:17-18b​

:bible1: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8​

:bible1: “So shall **my word **be that goeth forth out of **my **mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which **I **please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto **I **sent it.” Isaiah 55:11​

:bible1: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but **my words **shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35​

:bible1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1​

"And the
Word
was made flesh,
and dwelt among us,
and we saw his glory;
the glory as it were of the
only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth."
John 1:14
:bible1:

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Blessed Lord+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Mary+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Church+​

 

[JReducation]

Laudetur Jesus Christus!
I am very interested in Psychology of religion. I would like to study this most interesting subject. Here’s a text from a Swedish Christian who is an expert on this subject: owewikstrom.se/2002/03/29/the-silence-of-god/

What does the Catholic Church teach on this subject?

If you want to understand and study Psychology of Religion I strongly suggest that you read the writings of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR. He is one of the most prominent Christian Psychologists today. In fact, he was a key witness in the study for the beatification of Bl. Mother Teresa. You can also write to him. Either he or one of the Franciscans of the Renewal will be happy to answer you. Psychology of Religion is their area of expertise.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[henrikhank]

If you want to understand and study Psychology of Religion I strongly suggest that you read the writings of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR. He is one of the most prominent Christian Psychologists today. In fact, he was a key witness in the study for the beatification of Bl. Mother Teresa. You can also write to him. Either he or one of the Franciscans of the Renewal will be happy to answer you. Psychology of Religion is their area of expertise.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

do you any writings of the Popes on psychology?

 

[JReducation]

do you any writings of the Popes on psychology?

None of our popes have been experts in this area. This area is a blend of psychology and Spiritual Theology. The only pope that we have ever had who was a master Spiritual Theologian was Pope John Paul II who actually had a Doctorate in Spiritual Theology.

We have never had a pope trained in either spiritual theology or psychology of religion.

They stay clear of that area an defer to other experts inside the Church. That’s why they called Fr. Benedict to analyze the live and writing of Mother Teresa before proceeding with the decreee of beatification, because Bl. John Paul was an expert on the Spiritual Life, but not in Christian Psychology and neither were any of the other members of the committee. The leading voices in that area are William James, who has been dead for a very long time, a Benedictine monk at Catholic University of America, Fr. Raymond Studzinski, OSB who was one of my professors when I was in the Mater’s program and now the Franciscans of the Renewal who do this as a full-time ministry. There are a few other names at Mt. St. Mary’s university too. There was an awesome Dominican, Fr. Jordan Aumann, also one of my former professors in Rome. He died very recently too.

Until one of these men becomes pope or the pope asks them to write something for him, I don’t foresee anything coming from the Apostolic See on this subject soon.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF