Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-128).

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It goes without saying that Sigmund Freud was one of the most important contributors to the formation of psychological theory. Freud's theories were largely concerned with his construction of the role of a psychotherapist, and his psychoanalytical viewpoint. Though influential, Freud's psychoanalysis was also a business model for the new position of therapist, a role traditionally delegated to clergy members. That meant that Freud could put himself, as psychotherapist, in the esteemed position of clergy and become a sort of medical Father Confessor. To do that, he had to undermine the authority of the Church in any way possible. Whether intentional or not, Freud's outright dismissal of religion in psychotherapy is indicative of his desire to take its place, especially evidenced through his writings in The Interpretation of Dreams (1994). The problem with dismissing religion's role in psychotherapy has been discussed since Freud; he is not representative of all psychologists, or even of all members of the school of psychoanalysis. Most other theorists understood the value of religion both to the person and to therapy. Even if Freud were correct in his statements about the etiology of religious beliefs, he still ignored a potential source of therapeutic insight. This is a damaging strategy which was not universally shared; denying such an important part of the human experience is simply dangerous for the psychotherapist.

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Attributes associated with mystical experience among Christians, Buddhists, Jews and Pagans are explored in psychometric data presented in this thesis. Two such attributes in particular, the personality trait of psychoticism and attitudes held towards mysticism, are given focal attention. Psychoticism, a trait at one time supposedly linked with vulnerability to psychosis, has been much assessed in previous research into religiosity- personality correlates, and a more recent emerging literature has assessed this trait in relationship to religious experience. However, as this thesis clarifies, good grounds exist for challenging the view that this is a homogeneous trait. Assessments of traits relating to distinct facets of psychoticism, specifically the three traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience, provided solid grounds for taking apparently significant positive correlations between mystical experience and psychoticism as evidence that the former is associated with creativity rather than psychosis. In each religious group studied, a significant positive correlation was found between attitudes to mysticism and mystical experience. However, this thesis also presents grounds for distinguishing these concepts. The possibility that psychoticism relates in different ways to these constructs, and the implications this has for the question of whether mysticism arises through social learning or reflects an innate tendency invariant across creed, are considered

The explosive growth of technology today is causing extensive speculation about the future. These ‘technological futurisms’—especially transhumanism—are often imbued with religious value by their adherents. How should Christians respond to the content of technological futurisms and also the way the future is constructed? In this thesis I argue that Christian eschatology has a more robust understanding of the future than technological futurism, as championed by transhumanism, and can allow for radical hope while also maintaining important humanistic virtues which are ultimately lost in transhumanism. Christian eschatology does not only depend on what is actual to create its future. Rather, it is open to the God of possibility and promise who can bring the radically new in the Kingdom of God. This dissertation is broken into three major sections with an introductory and concluding chapter. The first section provides a history of our technological imagination today by looking at visionary approaches to technology and the future in both technological utopias and science fiction. This history provides the conditions for understanding the proposed future of transhumanism. The second section orients the final response by assessing technology and the future in the eschatologies of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Jacques Ellul. Both Teilhard and Ellul agree that the technological future without appeal to the Christian God is dangerous. The final section looks at the theological and philosophical issues surrounding technology and the future. Heidegger’s works are used to sharpen themes related to technology and the future; in particular, how technology is related to ontology and how the future is related to possibility. The final chapters construct a Christian response to transhumanism around the themes of possibility and promise by utilising the works of Richard Kearney, Eberhard Jüngel and Jürgen Moltmann. A Christian notion of possibility allows for the radically new in a way transhumanism does not and the Christian idea of promise safeguards human virtues by emphasising the interpersonal as ultimate rather than self-transcendence as with transhumanism.

One issue that has been generating considerable debate within the philosophy of religion is whether or not certain religious experiences could provide at least some evidence towards justifying beliefs in the existence of a divine being. Within the literature, positive accounts are typically referred to as arguments from religious experience. I aim to contribute to this debate in two ways. First, many versions of the argument from religious experience rely on a simple perceptual model in order to understand and assess the evidential value of religious perceptual experiences. However, I shall be developing a specified perceptual model that allows for the relational dimensions of religious perceptual experiences to be taken into account. I refer to this model as the care relational model. Second. many versions of the argument from religious experience only include a superficial assessment of the role testimony plays in relation to justifying religious belief's grounded in religious experiences. I shall attempt to remedy this by assessing the evidential value of religious perceptual experiences in light of recent developments in the philosophy of testimony.

Univ., Diss.--Münster, 2005. / Literaturverz. S. [383] - 393. Mit engl. Zsfassung.

Dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [187]-195) and indexes.