Sacred Psychoanalysis - etheses Repository - University of ...

makes it difficult to go beyond equating this with ‘paradigm blindness’. 474 AN however
distinguishes between religion and spirituality as they are,
entirely distinct … spirituality refers to a kind of feeling state of mind, whereas
religion - a whole body of thinking, of doctrine to do with engagement,
understanding if you like, of man’s soul. I would distinguish also between religious
sentiment and codified religion … and like everything that human beings produce …
religion (is) extremely double-edged, both expressing … ultimate yearnings and
ultimate strivings and even truths about man’s soul and also being one of our
greatest tragedy because despite what all the religious leaders claim, religion is also
always implicated in extreme rivalry and war, hatred and lack of toleration (AN 141-
158). 475
Philips confesses ‘I find it very difficult … when people use the word, to really picture what
they might be talking about’ (AP 404-405), agreeing with my description that ‘for many
people spirituality is a more generic, easy term for something that isn’t quite religious’ (AP
422-423). Similarly AN comments, ‘I haven’t mentioned the word spirituality, I … am not
very sure what it means … I prefer the word soul’ (AN 707-708). Black adds ‘I thought
spirituality was just such a kind of cloudy and indeterminate term that I didn’t quite know
what its boundaries were in any direction’ (DB 267-268): however as Black explored this
further he equated positive aspects of religion with spirituality. Grotstein said ‘I think the
problem is religion versus spirituality’ (JG 1778) and argues ‘spirituality to me is religion
without religion’ (JG 776). ‘I find my religion very unspiritual, I wish it had more
spirituality rather than worshiping a narcissistic chauvinistic God who is very unappealing’
(JG 1789-1790). Bobrow holds these in tension ‘I’m very interested in people’s religious
lives or religious practices, religious histories. Oftentimes it has nothing to do with spiritual
474 The same critique applies equally to religion and some forms of spirituality.
475 ‘I think they are different kinds of things. I think many people feel a kind of religious sentiment without
wanting to be … signed up to any deity or organized religion … religious sentiment is … some feeling of
connection with I think with the world, some sense of there being important forces which are beyond our
understanding and so on’ (AN 146-153).
283