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Seven—Godly Love from the Perspective of Psychology
- Cornell University Press
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Seven GODLY LOVE fROM ThE PERSPECTIVE Of PSYChOLOGY J u L I E J . E x L I N E The concept of Godly love suggests that love flows from a perceived God to people, who then pass that love to each other.1 As shown in this volume, members of diverse disciplines have their own unique perspectives to contribute to this area of study. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of some concepts and methodology that would be relevant to the study of Godly love from a psychological perspective. The chapter begins with a discussion of whether psychology, given its scientific methods, is relevant to the study of Godly love—and also whether psychologists might benefit from considering Godly love as a research topic. From there, the discussion shifts to specific methods that psychologists might use to approach the study of Godly love. Are Psychological Perspectives Relevant to the Study of Godly Love? Psychology is the scientific study of human thought, emotion, and behavior . Because psychology is a science, it focuses on things that are at least partly observable or measurable. As such, some might question whether a psychological perspective could be appropriately applied to the study of Godly love. Research on Godly love conducted to date has maintained an agnostic stance with regard to the existence of God.2 At some level, however, the concept of Godly love seems most relevant for people who 142 T h E S C I E N C E A N D T h E o L o G Y o F G o D LY L o V E presuppose the existence of God and accept the notion that love flows from God to (and through) human beings. In addition, the Godly love concept makes assumptions about the nature of God: God is seen as a source of love, which is then passed on to people. Parts of the Flame of Love Project have gone a step further to focus specifically on pentecostalism,3 a Christian movement that emphasizes the power of the holy Spirit—power that is sometimes expressed in supernatural ways. These key ideas—that God exists, loves people, and is not bound by natural laws—are theologically based assumptions that do not lend themselves to evaluation based on the tools of empirical psychology. What, then, might psychology have to offer to the study of Godly love? To conduct research on Godly love, must we necessarily step outside the traditional boundaries of psychology and into the misty and mysterious realms of parapsychology, the study of supernatural phenomena? Perhaps not. In a sociological study of Godly love, Lee and Poloma dealt with this issue by focusing on accounts of perceived interactions with God to demonstrate how these perceptions shaped benevolent actions.4 Similarly, from the perspective of psychology, it is crucial to focus on constructs that we can at least attempt to measure, such as human belief, emotion, and behavior. Rather than trying to prove whether a miracle occurred, for example, a psychologist might attempt to assess relevant personal beliefs: “on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely), to what extent do you view this healing as a miracle?” Such assessments can provide useful information about people’s beliefs without trying to answer the question of whether a miracle actually occurred. The same logic should apply to the idea of love flowing from God to a person (and from that person to others). Although psychologists might look at perceptions, emotions, behaviors, or even physiological activity that could suggest the presence of love, the aim would not be to directly evaluate whether acts of interpersonal kindness are ultimately caused by God’s love. on the face of it, it might seem that the psychological approach is a purely reductionistic one, one that attempts to explain away all supernatural phenomena and to eliminate faith. If so, such an endeavor could be seen as shallow, superficial, or misguided at best. At worst, it might be seen as a hostile attempt to strip away the deeper and richer layers of meaning associated with the Godly love concept. Yet a psychological approach need not assume a reductionist worldview. For example, consider a case in which a psychologist concludes the following: “When people believe that they have had a powerful experience of God’s love, this belief predicts greater odds (statistically) that they will donate time or money to help others.” Knowing that the belief in having experienced God...