Freud v. The Bible: Who Wins?

I have heard one person after another, who claims Christianity as their own, viciously renounce the research and claims of Sigmund Freud. This eccentric psychoanalyst who revolutionized the field of psychology has created vast controversy as a result of his views that sex is the basis of everything that happens in life and are the basis for our actions as humans. Though this is obviously wrong from the perspective of biblical truth, it is unscientific to completely discount his valuable research on the human psyche and it's influences. As a Christ-follower, it is incredibly difficult and mostly unreasonable to accept any Freudian ideas, but truth is still present to a degree.

Freud, beyond his sexualization of life, is most notably known for his division of the human psyche into the Super-ego, the Ego, and the Id. In a battle of the Super-ego against the Id, the Super-ego represents obligation created by the moral code of the human mind. In essence, Super-ego is the legalism that everyone experiences at one point or another, when guilt overwhelms us and an individual feels obligated to do the morally right action. The opposition to Super-ego is the Id--our most primitive impulses and desires with no restraint. This portion of the psyche is impulsive to no end and is generally pleasure seeking regardless of morality or consequences. Lastly, the Ego is the balance between the two that is most often seen in humans. Most people we encounter daily are ruled by their Freudian Ego, the balance between hedonism and legalism.

Though these ideas seem purely secular in nature, God is omnisciently pervasive throughout creation--even into the human psyche. Paul addresses the conflict of the human mind at the end of his letter to the church in Galatia.

Galatians 6:15 - Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

When Paul talks about circumcision, he is addressing a group of Christians in Galatia, called the Judaizers, who believed that to be saved and acceptable to God, one must accept Christ and also follow the whole Jewish law. This philosophy is more commonly known today as legalism, and it is something we have all been faced with at one point or another. Obligation is one point that the modern church emphasizes subconsciously, as we seem to put too much emphasis at times on the "do nots" of life. Additionally, spiritual prowess is equivalent to being visually active in church activities. Freud's Super-ego is the exact parallel of this influence on human behavior, as the Super-ego is the formal embodiment of legalism in the human mind. By placing obligation over a joy-filled relationship with our loving creator, the legalism of the Super-ego cannot give a person the full satisfaction of life.

Uncircumcision also represents another group of people in Galatia--the Hedonists. Since hedonism has such a negative connotation of being grossly overindulging, it goes to represent our most primitive desires for pleasure and personal satisfaction. The Hedonists followed a form of Deism, where God is like a clockmaker who creates the world as a giant clock, then simply leaves it to function on its own. If God does not permeate every portion of life, there is no need to follow our moral law and we are able to give in to our pure desire for pleasure. Freud named this section of our human psyche the Id--our impulsive journey for personal gratification. A philosophy following the Id has no need for personal responsibility and gives no heed to innate moral law or the consequences of not following this code. This is how the majority of modern men live: for their personal betterment financially, emotionally, physically, and in all other ways. Though we are not meant to live as emotionless machines, there must be some purpose and moderation in all of the pleasurable pursuits that life has to offer.

Lastly, both Freud and Paul search for the middle ground between the two. At one end lies the endless stretch of guilt and oppression within moral obligation, and at the other resides a filthy pit of unrestrained human indulgence. Freud finds his middle ground on a see-saw, a continuous game of tug-of-war between the conflicting portions of the human psyche. The Ego represents our "sense of self", our identity, that we can only have when mediating the struggle between Super-ego and the Id. In theory, this balancing act is feasible, but Paul realizes that humans cannot do this alone. The Freudian Ego in Paul's letter is represented by the "new creation" that we can be in order to have freedom through God's saving love. By relying on God's power to mediate our conflicting Id and Super-ego, we receive incredible intellectual and personal freedom through the power of Christ's death on the cross. In essence, all that is required of us is to simply be dependent on the power of God to create our Ego--our own unique identity. In this, we can experience the incredible freedom of living the Ego that God has for us.

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Distance is Darkness

Distance is darkness. This has been one of the guiding factors in modern relationships--that to have a successful relationship is to be as close physically and emotionally as possible to one another. A distancing of the friends or lovers is never seen as beneficial. How could separation of strong friends bring depth to the friendship they share? John Donne examines how a friendship can endure change in this poem and presents two incredible metaphors to demonstrate the reality of the matter.


Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to airy thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the center sit,
Yet when the other far doth roam,
It leans and hearkens after it,
And grows erect, as that comes home

Such wilt thou be to me, who must
Like th' other foot, obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I begun.

(John Donne - A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning)

First, the metaphor of gold. I love the way that Donne portrays the gold, which must endure a distancing of itself by being beaten and flattened in to a different form. In this way the gold is stretched thin, but it is still beautiful and valuable, and, most importantly, it is still intact. This can be a friendship that has changed. Though two individuals are not close in the same way they were when dating; their friendship has been flattened out like the gold, and the relationship has taken a different form, just like the gold. But once again, the important piece is that the different relationship can still be intact and wonderful. I really think that a good friendship is able to withstand metamorphosis as the individuals go through different stages of life. The best friendship can still be intact and even more beautiful when it is beaten into a different form by life's circumstances.

Second, the metaphor of the compass that Donne uses is so indicative of a strong friendship. He says, if "they be two, they are two so", as lovers who become just friends again are separate for all literal purposes, but are still together in friendship like the two independent points of a compass join together in the middle. As one point of the compass moves, the other remains still connected, though both points do not necessarily always stay in the same place. Also, one point is not always the only one making the motion. Both points are capable of being the point of motion at different times. This is parallel to friendship, as, at different points in a relationship, the two individuals are on their own respective journeys and have their own struggles, but the points are still connected. Even though one point or the other may be running in circles, they still end up connected to the other, no matter how close or far the compass, or the relationship, has been stretched. Lastly, as the compass moves, it must compact or extend to fit the situation needed. This is identical to friendships, as the relationship must often evolve to suit the current situations of both individuals. Though the relationship changes, the compass is still connected and the friendship is intact.

This is the question we must pose to our culture:

Is Distance Really Darkness?

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Have You?

As the daylight descends into an abyss of darkness, light streams from the horizons of our perception to highlight the most vivid whites in sight. The human emotions feel a loss of warmth, coupled with the expectant danger of a new evening. All of the security in vision is dampened by an impending sense of excitement coming from the new sources of light emerging into the sky. Through the veil of night slowly covering the day, a sole light shines in the distance--a solitary street lamp. Trudging down the path leading to the couldesac, footsteps seem to dance through the air as the perceptive senses are heightened to the sound of silence. The ricochet of each step reverberates through the hammer and anvil of the inner ear, penetrating through cells to reach the consciousness of the human mind. In a soft whisper, the gentle breeze seduces the ears to be compliant to its whimsical pattern of rustle and flow in the leaves. What could be at work in the night air? The crisp scent of winter breath intoxicates to no end and entreats us to stay forever in the comfort of its icy embrace. As the footsteps retreat towards the welcoming warmth of home, the emotions seem to be saddened, for yet another time has past, another exchange of light.

Have you experienced the Dusk?

nate.

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Simple Beauty.

He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Address on The Method of Nature"

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost

What is it like to float? To truly be free of gravity is a feeling few, save astronauts, will ever experience. But, somehow, through an incomprehensible combination of rout and circumstance, we find ourselves floating on earth. The power of love is incredible and beyond the laws of physics and the confines of reason; humankind has been awestruck in the presence of its majesty since the beginning of time. In the surreal experience of love, we, all too often, lose the magic that can surface in the simple course of daily life.

Astronauts stare back at Earth, our iridescent globe of life. The majesty of viewing Earth from afar is comparable to none other as the backdrop of twinkling stars lends itself to the natural beauty of the great Mother. Though astronauts experience the incredible power of Earth in its full majesty, it is not the view common man can appreciate. The average man will never transcend the forces of physics to float in space, but he can appreciate the wonders of nature from the ground of dear Mother Earth. From the timeless imagery of nature, it is evident that some of the most beautiful experiences can be found simply in everyday experience. Driving down Pisgah Church into a brilliant sunset can tug at the strings of even the hardest of hearts and awakes something deep within that says, "that is true beauty." In parallel, it is not necessarily the euphoria found in love which reveals the beauty of a woman, but it is the everyday experiences we share with our loved ones where the most magnificent beauty can be found. The person whom we cherish sparkles with brilliance, not always in circumstance, but often in simple, common interaction.

Learning to love is a journey like no other; the highs and lows of a relationship bring wisdom. In these experiences, love lends a tender hand to an uncertain heart by showing how to love more, and more deeply. To experience a relationship like no other, we must seek wisdom, and in that wisdom we will see latent beauty in our beloved. Beauty such as this is only evident in a heart which seeks a mutual love that is fueled by a simple desire to love, and love without restraint. Though we do not love beyond reason, love should be consumated in the common desire for the betterment of each individual. That is: for each to seek the best for the other.

Love is most evident in self-less sacrifice. Loving a woman is not a idealistic stroll through a park, but rather a war, in which a chivalric knight battles through obstacles of insurmountable odds to rescue a beautiful princess from the tower. This story pulls at the heart of boys and girls alike. It is so inherent to your soul because it is truly what your heart desires; every girl wants to be rescued by a knight in shining armor, and every boy wants to be that knight. The catche comes when most "knights" are unwilling to fight for their princess. They do not realize there is a battle to fight, a dragon to be slayed. It is because of the dragon that men must be willing to perservere to reach their beloved, and not give up when a relationship seems to be fallling apart. If lovers can surmount the rocky terrain of conflict, they will find new beauty in their loved one and be able to experience mutual love in a fuller sense.

Humans cannot comprehend true love, for it is most originally divine. The manner in which God loves us is paramount to even the most fufilling love that two humans can experience. If we can truly understand the manner in which he loved us first most deeply, the love we feel for an extraordinary woman will be multiplied ten-fold and can be consumated in the knowledge that there is one who loves us unconditionally and without reason. In that knowledge we can love without restraint and experience the awe-inspiring beauty that is in store for each of us..

nate.

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Pure Majesty

Love, unconquerable
Waster of rich men, keeper
Of warm lights and all night vigil
In the soft face of a girl:
Sea-wanderer, forest visitor!
Even the pure Immortals cannot escape you
And mortal man, in his one day's dusk,
Trembles before your glory

(Taken from Antigone by Sophocles)

Ancient literature has power. The unseeming majesty of complicated literature can overcome the most unsuspecting individual, simply trying to succeed in a world full of academic rigor. Love is an incredibly entity, who can understand it? Human kind never has and can never fully comprehend the complexities and subtleties of love. From the corrosive properties of lustful desires, to the whimsical features of casual love, the world has shifted from a reverent appreciation of the majesty of the deepest loves, to an irreverant exploitation of the joys found in love. In this small moment of your time spent reading my thoughts alloted in HTML boxes, savor the pure delight of love in its original form (from the brilliance of Sophocles) and see the life that ancient writing brings to ideas that have since grown cold and inert.

-nate

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