Religion and Psychology

Religious faith is important to most Americans, with approximately 95% of Americans reporting belief in God and about 50% being active in church organizations (Gallup & Castelli, 1989). Despite the widespread prevalence of religious beliefs in society, some researchers have maintained that religion and religious beliefs are often neglected in psychological research (Jones, 1994; Plante, 1996). This neglect stems from a couple of different factors. First, it is difficult for psychologists to overcome the fact that believers in many religions claim to have unique access to the truth. Secondly, truly theological questions such as the existence of God or the nature of an afterlife are often ignored by scientists. This may be in part a hesitation to face politically sensitive and philosophically difficult issues, or the methodological limitations of modern research techniques.

At the same time psychological researchers are avoiding the fusion of religion and psychology, so are religious organizations. Religion once feared psychology's tendency to view God as "nothing but" the projection of the idealized father (Ciarrocchi, 2000). Many religions hold that divine acts can override laws of nature, a view that is usually seen as incompatible with scientific belief. Although some researchers find that the relationship between religion and psychology is not receiving enough attention, others believe that combining the two is important. If the explosion of research publications on religion and spirituality by the American Psychological Association (APA) is any indication, psychologists cannot seem to read enough on the topic (e.g., Donahue & Benson, 1996; Pargament & Park, 1996; Graham-Pole, Wass, Eyeberg, & Chu, 1989). Overall, bot...

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... they are probably forgetting that they are social creatures.

Even one of the most eminent thinkers of our time, Albert Einstein, would agree that religion and psychology can work together. "Religion deals only with evaluations of human thought and action: it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. A conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible, but science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration towards truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion" (Einstein, 1945, p.10). Science encompasses psychology and even Albert Einstein agrees that there is a need for union between the two. "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind"(Einstein, 1945, p.363).