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Canyon College

online Psychology of Religion I course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS:  PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION I

Course Title: TH485 - Psychology of Religion I
Department: Bachelor of Theology
Instructor: Dona Williams, MTh, BS, E-Mail  Vita
Prerequisites: None


PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

What is religion? How do we tell those who have it from those who don’t? Can religious experience be studied and examined like anatomy and physiology or any of the other sciences?

These are but a few of the questions which this course seeks to answer as we undertake a study of William James. Interestingly, James was neither "a theologian, nor a scholar learned in the history of religions, nor an anthropologist, but a psychologist, who finds the religious propensities as interesting as any other facts pertaining to man’s mental constitution..." I’m of the opinion that James succeeds as far as he goes and that by the end of this course students should be able to articulate sufficient arguments to support the answers they fashion to the above questions.

James’ book "is widely regarded as the most important classic in the psychology of religion and one of the most valued books in Protestant Christian studies...James has profoundly influenced how [many religious professionals] understand the nature and integrity of personal religious experience."1 James offers much to discussions of ecumenism and pluralism and makes convincing arguments why we should be more tolerant of each other’s religious beliefs. He also "seems bent on rehabilitating the element of feeling in religion and subordinating its intellectual part."2 Other themes of his work are unification, conversion, mysticism, and a healthy respect for individual religious experiences.

James work is a "famous example" of Modernistic Liberalism, a movement of men who took scientific method, scholarly discipline, empirical fact, and prevailing forms of contemporary philosophy as their point of departure. From this perspective they approached religion as a human phenomenon, the Bible as one great religious document among others, and the Christian faith as one major religio-ethical tradition among others.3

Whether or not he intended it cannot be ascertained. However, James’ book "became a popular apologia for religion. Faith that ‘worked’ was true; given the ‘will to believe,’ it would work."4

It has been argued that James was influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg who influenced "Transcendentalism and ... Brook Farm... spiritualism and the free love movement... faith healing, mesmerism, and a half-dozen medical cults..."5 No doubt, James’ work found its way into the library and sermons of many who advocated things which James might have opposed. As seen above, it quickly gained currency as an apologia for institutionalized religion which James clearly did not intend. "This was an unfortunate and unforeseen use of James’ work; yet, it attests to the extent to which many works were ‘vulgarized’ by religious enthusiasts."6

This "unfortunate" use of James’ treatise indicates the level of popularity with which it was received. In fact, interest was so great in it "that within a dozen years it had been reprinted 21 times."7 Despite the popularity of the book; however, some scholars have pointed out that in James we have "the anomalous situation that the man most often and justifiably cited as the father of American psychology of religion has left no school or following or system or impact of the kind ordinarily regarded as a founder’s heritage."8 One ATLA Religious Index reveals only 11 works which have as part of their subject matter James’ book although a more extensive bibliography is found at the end of the book, The Struggle for Life. Perhaps the time is ripe for some scholarly and enterprising student to resurrect William James in a thesis or dissertation.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would suggest that we write, "God wills that everyone obeys God’s will."

REQUIREMENTS

1. Readings. The required text is: Online Bookstore
A. James, William, "The Varieties of Religious Experience," softcover, Penguin Books, 1982, 1902 ("James").

2. Conferences. Students may schedule up to two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the bulletin board.

3. Exams. There will be two exams: a mid-term examination and a final examination which will cover the assigned readings. The mid-term examination will be taken at the end of the third week and the final examination will be taken at the end of the sixth week.

4. Papers. There will be a short paper of no less than two single- spaced pages or 1,250 words, due at the end of each week’s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings.

Students should consider the context in which the author(s) is/are writing and the author’s understanding of religion. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Students should include a word count with the heading of their papers.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:

Papers
Final Exam
Mid-term exam
30%
40%
30%


6. Grading Scale.

90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59% or below
A - Excellent
B - Above Average
C - Average
D - Below Average
F - Failing Grade

A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.

B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.

C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.

D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.

F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.


WEEK 1

Read James pages vii-xxvii and 1-52.

"The main focus of James’ scholarly writings was defending the principles of empiricism in philosophy and psychology against the German theories of absolute idealism, arguing that the only absolute is found through the use of facts."9 James uses his own experiences and those of others, including many in insane asylums, to support his arguments that once stripped of its artifacts, religion can be studied like any of the other sciences and that religious experiences are as varied as the natures of persons and the circumstances under which they come in contact with the Infinite. In this later regard, it must be emphasized that James "was not so much interested in ‘true’ and ‘false’ religion or even good or bad experience as in the act of respecting experience itself."10

In Lecture I, James sets forth the broad outline of his series of lectures as well as his methodology. James opts for empiricism because, "Our practice is the only sure evidence, even to ourselves, that we are genuinely Christians."11 He goes on to say that throughout the study, the [reader] must be willing "to judge the religious life by its results exclusively..."12 He is emphatic in pointing out that he seeks to get beneath the obvious to those deep wells of the soul and not superficial feelings. "If merely ‘feeling good’ could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience."13 He also makes it clear that his study is limited to the individual religious experience and "not religious institutions."14

In Lecture II, James defines just what it is he means by religion. He narrows the scope of his inquiry further by saying that "religious emotions of course are psychic entities distinguishable from other concrete emotions; but there is no ground for assuming a simple abstract ‘religious emotion’ to exist as a distinct elementary mental affection by itself, present in every religious experience without exception."15 Fearing that one might get the impression that he is contending for a definition in which anything goes as religious experience, James adds that "at their extreme of development, there can never be any question as to what experiences are religious."16 One sure sign of religious experience which is not found elsewhere is what James calls "religious feeling."17

Discussion Questions:
  1. According to James, what is the definition of religion? Find at least one other definition of religion. In what way, if any, does it differ from James’? Do you agree with James’ definition? Why or why not?
  2. What does James mean by religious feeling?
  3. "There was a lot of compassionate, loving behavior going on, brother-and- sister-wise...When I think about [it], I think about this great flowing mass of people who all just sort of lifted off the ground together...But it was really something. It was not nothing. There was a transformation of human beings that took place that was cosmic or spiritual or whatever word one would use for a higher level of interacting with people. There was a lot of that going on..."

    A. Does the above describe a religious experience? Why or why not?

WEEK 2

Read James pages 53-165.

Lecture III, "The Reality of the Unseen."

"Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the broadest and most general terms possible, one might say that it consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto."18 This "unseen reality" is best approached through our sentiments. "It seems to me that the feeling of reality may be something more like a sensation than an intellectual operation properly so-called."19 Here, it is clear that James is attempting to break away from the rationalism of his day and especially intellectual idealism.

Lectures IV and V, "The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness."

James introduces the concepts of the "once born" and the "twice born." The once born are those who are "animally happy" and who "From the outset their religion is one of union with the divine."20 He cites as examples of the once born: Emerson and Whitman.21 James gives the name of "healthy-mindedness to the tendency which looks on all things and sees that they are good... [however,] we must distinguish between a more involuntary and a more voluntary or systematic way of being healthy-minded."22 The systematic healthy-minded "conceives good as the essential and universal aspect of being [and] deliberately excludes evil from its field of vision..."23 The voluntary healthy-minded are those "who unite healthy-mindedness with readiness for regeneration by letting go."24

Lectures VI and VII, "The Sick Soul."

"Evil is a disease; and worry over disease is itself an additional form of disease, which only adds to the original complaint."25 And yet, this is precisely what happens to the sick soul. "The sanguine and healthy-minded live habitually on the sunny side of their misery-line, the depressed and melancholy live beyond it, in darkness and apprehension."26

Discussion Questions:
  1. Three sisters hear the call of the wild and began a trek from West Indies that lands them in Dallas, Texas via Louisiana. All goes well until the elder sister begins to complai nofdemonpossession.Accordingtotheirreligion, the only way to exorcize the elder sister is to pluck out her eyes. This is a ghastly task and the younger sisters are not physicians. However, to save their sister, they pluck out her eyes. Unfortunately, the sisters botch the job and the elder is taken to the hospital and a real physician calls the police. The Chief of Police is on the telephone seeking your professional advice as the lawyers can’t help and she knows that you are a graduate religion student.

    A. Using what you have learned thus far in this course, what advice would you give the Chief?

    B. How might Matthew 5:29-30 shed light on this issue?


  2. What is empiricism?

WEEK 3

Read James pages 166-258.

Lecture VIII, "The Divided Self, and the Process of Its Unification."

"There are two lives, the natural and the spiritual, and we must lose the one before we can participate in the other."27 Most of our distress comes in our failure to connect to the Divine, whatever we conceive that to be. And thus, we find ourselves struggling between flesh and spirit, much like Paul of Tarsus. To escape our brokenness, we must seek unification. "It may come gradually, or it may occur abruptly; it may come through altered feelings, or through altered powers of action; or it may come through new intellectual insights, or through [mystical] experiences..."28

Perhaps the most compelling point at which to begin an analysis of the first eight lectures of William James is with his methodology. James "is not a theologian, nor a scholar learned in the history of religions, nor an anthropologist, but a psychologist, who finds the religious propensities as interesting as any other facts pertaining to man’s mental constitution."29 I have emphasized facts because James embraces empiricism and thus his book is loaded with personal experiences as well as observations of others and their personal testimonies. It would seem at first blush that this approach is hardly "scientific," particularly to postmodern readers who have grown accustomed to surveys, polls, studies and experiments.

However, empiricism, broadly defined by Benet’s Readers Encyclopedia as "A theory of philosophy that maintains that all knowledge is necessarily derived from experience and the utilization of the five senses," has made its way into the scientific toolbox. Merriam Webster Dictionary has as one of its definitions of science: "such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena." In fact, it can be argued that most of science begins with the observance of external phenomena. Where would psychoanalysis be without the keen observations of Freud? Would we have heard of Einstein or Newton had not that observant soul, Chicken Little, discovered that it was something other than raindrops falling on its head?

Granted then, that James has a valid tool and uses it wisely, questions still arise regarding the subjects he chooses to observe and listen to. Bearing in mind that James has chosen to write about personal religion and to exclude the "social, participatory aspect of religion [and also] its theological and ethical preoccupations,"30 the question arises whether "personal religion can be ‘thus nakedly considered?’"31 Obviously, James believes it can. However, Capps argues that "In a country where being religious is usually defined as ‘church going,’ and where the growth and decline of religion is measured by the percentage of Americans who belong to churches, James’ ‘circumscription of the topic’ seems more than arbitrary. It is downright perverse."32

Capps’ criticism is too harsh for James lays out a convincing argument why he has chosen to approach his subjects as he has. Moreover, Capps offers no compelling argument why we should accept the definition of persons who may be themselves mislead as opposed to the disinterested observer James. Still, nagging questions persist. For instance, James fails to apprise us of what safeguards he has taken to insure that the melancholy of his twice-born souls is not caused by their having strayed from the traditions and teachings of their respective religious institutions. And don’t we know lots of "happy" people who are quite insane?

PLEASE TAKE THE MID-TERM EXAMINATION BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.


WEEK 4

Read James pages 259-378.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What does James mean by saintliness?

  2. How does James distinguish religious from moral practice?

  3. What is it that James calls the "worst moral disease from which our civilization suffers?" Do you agree? Why or why not?

WEEK 5

Read James pages 379-457.

Discussion Questions:
  1. 1. What is mysticism?

  2. 2. Have you ever had a mystical experience? Please describe it.

WEEK 6

Read James pages 458-527.

PLEASE TAKE THE FINAL EXAMINATION BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.

Endnotes

1. John Snarey and Elaine C. Nocks, review of The Struggle for Life: A Companion to William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 35 (Spring 1996): 331-332.

2. Martin, 830.

3. Sidney E. Ahlstrom, A Religious History of the American People (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1972), 782-783.

4. Ibid., 905.

5. Ibid., 483.

6. Ibid., 1029.

7. Winthrop S. Hudson and John Corrigan, Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life, 5th ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987), 257.

8. Capps, 1.

9. William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, ed. Martin E. Marty (U.S.A.: Logmans , Green, and Co., 1902; Penguin Books 1982), preface.

10. Ibid., xxiv.

11. Ibid., 20.

12. Ibid., 21.

13. Ibid., 16.

14. Ibid., 4.

15. Ibid., 28.

16. Ibid., 39.

17. Ibid., 47 - 50.

18. Ibid., 53.

19. Ibid., 64.

20. Ibid., 79.

21. Ibid., 81, 85.

22. Ibid., 87.

23. Ibid., 88.

24. Ibid., 114.

25. Ibid., 127.

26. Ibid., 135.

27. Ibid., 155 - 167.

28. Ibid., 175.

29. R.A. Martin, review of The Varieties of Religious Experiences: A Study in Human Nature, by William James, Methodist Review 84 (Spring 1902): 829-832.

30. Donald Capps, "That Shape Am I": The Bearing of Melanchology On James’s Struggle with Religion, in The Struggle for Life: A Companion to William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience, ed. Donald Capps and Janet L. Jacobs (Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and Princeton Theological Seminary, 1995), 73.

31. Ibid.

32. Ibid.