Psychotherapy and Religion by Josef Rudin (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 395 sacramental theology may take the view that the issues suggested by Father Hughes's book are not really about the question of Anglican ordinations but fundamentally about the authority of the papacy itself. Providence College Providence, R. I. PAUL VAN K. THOMSON Psychotherapy and Religion. By JosEF RuDIN. Translated by Elisabeth Reinecke and Paul C. Bailey, C. S.C. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968. Pp. 9.40. $5.95. Rudin states in the Foreword that his book is not intended primarily for a few professionals but is aimed toward a larger group who wonder about the relation between psychology and theology. This book is a collection of essays on selected topics more or less in psychotherapy and religion. Although Rudin promises " a conversation seeking clarity " between these two areas, the book tends to be a series of psychological and theological monologues rather than a dialogue. Part one is an explication of certain fundamental views of man. An analysis of" The Normal Man" is so simple that it tends to be simplistic. The author does not explicate his basic assumptions, succinctly define terms, or present original thinking. The following four chapters deal with soul-anxiety, development, freedom, and personal life. Although Rudin tries to point to the value of " soul anxiety," he ultimately considers anxiety in terms of problem-centeredness rather than growth-centeredness. Furthermore, Rudin does not give the structure and dynamics of this basic anxiety. The essay on development is simple and clear. Although the analysis of unauthentic modes of identification are interesting, it lacks in originality and synthesis. Furthermore, religion, as in most of the book, is used too much as a deus ex machina instead of as an integral part of the thesis. The analysis of freedom is one of the most extensive and creative efforts of the author. The main point-freedom is the goal of therapyis well taken particularly in the total context of the book. Rudin tries to explicate the emergent and transcendent dimensions of freedom which are considered to be necessary for authentic spirituality. Finally, the author presents views on personal life and on being a person. This presentation tends to be incoherent and unclear; for instance, the term person is used with various meanings. The purpose of part two is to investigate authentic and unauthentic 896 BOOK REVIEWS religious experience in light of the preceding and new psychological and theological insights. In chapter six, Rudin gives a clear account of the conscious and unconscious factors in religion. He rejects the Freudian theory of religion and begins to consider religion in terms of Jungian thinking. The following chapter is a reflection of Jung's book, Answer to Job. Rudin is at his most passionate and scholarly best when he interacts with Jung. Under the influence of Jung, Rudin almost transcends the projection theory of religion and begins to consider religious experience as a function of a fundamental structure of man. Unfortunately, Rudin does not sufficiently develop this theme. In fact, in the last chapter on prayer Rudin admits the critical importance of distinguishing between God as a wish-fulfilling projection and as a transcendent experience. However , he says that this topic seems to be inaccessible to psychological investigation. This admission is perhaps the most serious deficit of the book, for psychotherapy is little benefit to religion without it being able to differentiate religion as an unhealthy illusion or as a legitimate transcendent experience. Fortunately, there are a number of psychological approaches to this apparent dilemma. For instance, the consequent changes in behavior differ in the authentic and unauthentic religious experience. Or, religion as an illusion lacks certain psychodynamics which the authentic religious experience has. These and other insights into the religious experience are available to the psychologist as psychologist. In the final chapters, Rudin gives a good and readable account of the " neuroticized God-image." His analysis of unhealthy conceptions of God are primarily in terms of a Jungian framework and are rather original. Rudin also gives some concrete advice to the person who is involved in the areas of psychotherapy and spiritual guidance. Although the presentation lacks originality and depth, he delineates their common and different...