By Fr. Vasily Termos When religion provides all the answers, it removes the anxiety that arises from the struggle with questions, the search for meaning, a…
By Fr. Vasily Termos
When religion provides all the answers, it removes the anxiety that arises from the struggle with questions, the search for meaning, and the personal effort to choose what is essential in life. In such a case, religion encourages people to turn to God not to find the strength to face their fears, nor to gain the courage to face life maturely and realistically. Then religion offers an image of God that provides sufficient relief from anxiety, and people are freed from the responsibilities of adult life, as if they have God’s approval for it.
K. Fauteux* goes on to describe how the natural desire for security can undermine maturity: “Religion, which offers security and protection in a world that sometimes seems ready to crush us, does not necessarily lead to an escape from problems. On the contrary, it can be a unifying force that keeps our fragile lives from falling apart. Religion, which provides comfort in the face of inexplicable pain or strength and clarity in moments of weakness and confusion, helps people to cope with various areas of their lives. Without the help of religion, it may be too difficult for them to cope properly with these trials. Furthermore, religion prevents the uncertainties and fears that are part of our lives from completely exhausting us. But when religion offers only security and protection, when all it does is dispel fears and reduce anxiety, then we may feel protected and comforted, but we remain children and do not mature. Parents who provide everything “…to their child, remove every difficulty and satisfy every desire, preventing him from growing up. Parental love and protection should not instill in the child the idea of permanent dependence. They should build in him an inner sense of security that will give rise to the confidence necessary to be able to do for himself later on what his parents once did for him.” Similarly, the adult finds in the face of the almighty and loving God the security that helps him face harsh reality. But if he does not find in God love and protection that will fill him with love and inner security so that he can confidently cope with the demands of life, then every time he is faced with a situation that gives rise to anxiety, he will not have the inner strength to resolve it. Instead, he will turn to God. But he will turn to Him as a small child turns to its parents for help. That is, he will turn to God not to find the strength that will help him grow up and learn to cope with the demands of life maturely, but to find that magical connection that will banish his anxiety and free him from personal responsibility.
…When God, the priest, or dogma provides us with everything we need, answers all our questions, and alleviates our anxiety, then we remain children.
…When Freud sarcastically defines God as an “illusion,” he is addressing those people whose idea of God has not gone beyond the image of a substitute parent. Their deity provides them with the protection and security they need, but they are unable or afraid to develop a sense of security and protection for themselves. For these people, God is an “illusion” not because he is not real, but because he is a projection of the fulfillment of their childhood wishes and their longing for an omnipotent source of satisfaction that never disappoints.
Many people need an illusory God because they do not allow God to be real. Just as children do not know their parents for who they really are and believe that their only role is to provide them with protection and reduce their anxiety, so adults perceive God not as a presence that actually helps them grow, but as a God who magically frees them from anxiety and satisfies their needs.
They seek a God who nurtures and loves His children, not because of the quality of that care, but because they have never learned to care for themselves. These people do not connect with God when they feel alive, free, and aware of reality as adults, but when they feel like children. In other words, they draw closest to God when anxiety makes them turn to Him for protection. Or, when they already feel protected, they turn to God primarily to express gratitude for the protection they have been given.”
In this way, God is not “used” for maturation, but only for relief; He does not become a factor in spiritual development, but only a source of security. May notes: “Most of us are familiar with ‘escape,’ in which a person uses spiritual thoughts or practices to avoid dealing with his daily responsibilities. Thus prayer can be used as a sedative, and what appears to be surrender may be nothing more than theologically rationalized passivity or obedience.
Therefore, spiritually we strive for something more: “Virtues are not simply the opposite of vices. They are transformations of emotional movements that, in immature character development, would otherwise create a predisposition to vices”.
Notes
* Kevin Fauteux, Religion’s Encouragement and Inhibition of Psychological Development, 1990.
Excerpt from the book: Άνθρωπος στον φωρίνητας! Προσεγγέτηση τη καινάδοξης Θεολογής και επιστήμων του υχυσιμός, Athens: Εκδόσεις Γρηγόρη, 2006.
