Last week, I presented Part 1 of this two-part series titled, ‘Why Do Bad Things Happen?’ Our focus was on a theological point of view. Today, in this issue, I'm following up with a psychological perspective. My focus here centers on the psychology of religion. If religion is all about peace, love, and understanding, then why do bad things happen in religion?

In one way, shape, or form, the world's religions have occupied my heart and soul since I was 16. I grew up in southern California in the ’70s. We were not churchgoers, but that didn’t prevent me from finding a path into spirituality. Alan Watt’s public lectures were broadcast on KPFA-FM, one of my favorite rock bands released an album based on Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, and John Wimber was merging his Quaker roots with the burgeoning charismatic movement in the Vineyard church movement. I attended worship services at the same church Bob Dylan would later have his born-again time. Religion intrigued me, but always from a distance. Then in college, I began my forty-five-year journey as a Lutheran Christian following baptism with water poured into bedrock mortars (see photo below) left behind by the ancestors of the Chumash people who lived on the land for centuries - an eclectic background to say the least.

Religion has been prevalent in my life. I've studied and experienced religious institutions long enough to have seen religion at its worst. No religion is exempt from conduct that is unethical, cruel, and, in some cases, just plain evil. The list includes but is not limited to wars, colonialism, racist and sexist attitudes, and harm inflicted upon people as recently as last week’s newspaper article. In Brian McLaren’s recent book Should I Stay Christian?, he spends the first half outlining many of the atrocities of Christianity. McLaren makes a good case for leaving the church. The second half is the case for staying, which is not as strongly argued. Yet, both Brian and I choose to remain in the Christian commune.

Understanding Evil in Religion

How can we understand the evils that religion participates in and sometimes advocates? While many religious teachings promote peace, love, and spiritual growth, the shadow side of religion often reveals itself in times of crisis, violence, and fear. Like other essays in "Notebooks," this one will only scratch the surface but may lay the ground for a future book.

The theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung focus on the psychological nature of religious experiences and their role in personal and collective growth. He believed religious instinct is rooted in the human psyche, and religious symbols and myths express deep-seated psychological patterns. Unlike Sigmund Freud, Jung viewed the spiritual experience as essential to human growth and development.

One key aspect of Jung's theory is the concept of the "shadow." According to Jung, the shadow is a part of the unconscious mind that contains our repressed desires, fears, and primitive instincts. He stated, "Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the denser it is" (Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 11, para. 131). The shadow represents unknown (hence unconscious) aspects of our personality, which we often deny or suppress. As these repressed elements accumulate, they can manifest in various ways, including harmful expressions.

One example I’ve given in my writings is when asked in a class by my Psychology & Religion professor, Dr. Ann Belford Ulanov, to bring to mind a person of my gender whom I detest and then write down that person's qualities that repulsed me; I came up with a list so offensive to myself, I was convinced there must be something wrong with the experiment. When I countered fervently in class, a fellow student leaned over and modified Shakespeare, “Me thinkest thou doth protest too much." Convicted. I've been working on this for decades now. I realize; the shadow is real and alive.

The Shadow Side of Religion

Jung argued that the shadow aspect of human nature could find expression within religious contexts, causing conflicts, violence, and moral corruption. The shadow side of religion is often characterized by dogmatism, fanaticism, and intolerance, which stem from the denial of aspects of human nature. When the shadow is not acknowledged and integrated into conscious awareness, it can lead to destructive behaviors, often justified in religious belief.

Jung emphasized recognizing the shadow within religious systems in his work. "The more unconscious the religious system, the more it is at the mercy of the dark and dangerous side of (hu)mans" (Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 10, para. 601). The shadow side of religion reveals itself in various forms, such as religious persecution, holy wars, and acts of terrorism, often carried out in the name of a higher power.

The Shadow at Work in the Church

The Spanish Inquisition is one example of the shadow side of religion in Christianity's history. The Inquisition was a series of tribunals established by the Catholic Church in the 13th century, aimed at rooting out and punishing heresy. Over the centuries, the Inquisition led to the torture, persecution, and execution of thousands of individuals accused of practicing non-Christian faiths or holding unorthodox beliefs. But this is not just a historical event, as we can see many contemporary examples by reading today’s newspapers.

The Inquisition represents the shadow side of religion in action, where fear, intolerance, and the desire for power combined to create an institution that justified heinous acts to preserve religious purity. As Jung pointed out, "Wherever the religious neurosis seizes a community or a people, it leads to the most atrocious acts of cruelty" (Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 11, para. 571). The Inquisition's legacy serves as a reminder of the dangers that can arise when the shadow side of religion remains unacknowledged and unchecked.

In his 2018 book, Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology, Vladislav Šolc offers a contemporary examination of the shadow side of religion, with a specific focus on religious fundamentalism. This includes fundamentalist expressions of all faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.

Šolc argues that religious fundamentalism represents an extreme manifestation of the shadow side of religion. Fundamentalist movements often respond to social, political, and cultural changes threatening their established beliefs and values. Fundamentalists seek to regain control and preserve their identity by adopting a rigid, legalistic approach to faith. However, in doing so, they often fall prey to more vile aspects of human nature, as reflected in the rise of intolerance, hatred, and violence.

According to Šolc, fundamentalism is a pathological expression of the religious instinct, wherein the individual or group becomes overwhelmed by the shadow. These fundamentalist religions manifest the unintegrated shadow, projecting their fears, anxieties, and repressed desires onto external "enemies" or "others." This projection, in turn, leads to a rigid "us versus them" mentality, fostering a sense of moral superiority that can justify acts of aggression and oppression.

Šolc's perspective on fundamentalism highlights the need to integrate the shadow into personal spiritual development and address the broader challenges of religious extremism. To counteract the destructive forces of fundamentalism, Šolc advocates for a deeper engagement with the transformative potential of religious symbols and myths. By fostering a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of religious experience, individuals and communities can resist the pull of fundamentalism and embrace a more authentic and compassionate expression of faith.

The Importance of Integrating the Shadow

To counteract the shadow side of religion, Jung emphasized the importance of integrating the shadow into conscious awareness, individually and collectively. This process involves recognizing and accepting the shadow aspects of our nature, which can lead to greater self-understanding. Furthermore, by integrating the shadow, individuals and religious communities can cultivate a more authentic and compassionate expression of faith.

Carl Jung believed the path to individuation and spiritual growth required confronting and integrating the shadow. "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious" (Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 13, para. 335). This process of self-discovery can be challenging, as it requires us to face our fears, insecurities, and negative emotions. However, through this process, we can begin to heal and transform our relationship with ourselves and others.

In religion, integrating the shadow means acknowledging the darker aspects of religious history. We are not served well by pretending that everything in our past is noble. The church, or any institution in society, must acknowledge the wrongs of the past. But this should not be interpreted to mean tossing out every aspect of religion. I think of how the Nazis used some of Martin Luther's writing about the Jewish people to justify the Holocaust. Luther's writings on this matter should be condemned. But that doesn't mean Luther did not also make essential contributions to Christian thought. We are all simul iustus peccatorque, “simultaneously saint and sinner.” We are called to hold the tension of these opposites. The church and society benefit from an integration of its shadow. This can foster a more balanced and inclusive understanding of faith, helping prevent the destructive consequences of unexamined dogmatism and intolerance.

The shadow side of religion reveals a complex interplay between the human psyche and religious expression. By acknowledging the shadow within us and our religious institutions, we can begin to address these aspects of faith that have led to conflict and suffering throughout history. In a time when religious conflicts and divisions persist, Jung offers a valuable framework for understanding the psychological underpinnings of these challenges. Moreover, integrating the shadow within our religious beliefs and practices can pave the way for a more profound, meaningful, and inclusive spirituality as we strive for a more peaceful and harmonious world.

And to bring this all home to each of us individually, I leave you with this quote by Jung’s great associate Marie-Louise Von Franz.

“The little open door of each individual’s inferior function is what contributes to the sum of collective evil in the world.” 

In other words, we all have work to do, and in doing that work, we contribute to bringing about healing in the world.

News & Updates –

If you’d like a little laughter following this rather heavy essay, check out this scene from an old episode of the TV show Frasier. It’s a comical scene involving Jung. Click here You’ll need to click the unmute button once you arrive.

A new episode of the Podcast will be out next week. I interview Pastor Dale Selover, Spiritual Director and Leader of the House Next Door Spiritual Life Center in Princeton, New Jersey.

I’ve prepared a Discussion Guide for the Weird Wisdom Book. You can grab a copy here. It’s free for now before I put it on Kindle eBook sale for a whopping .99 cents.

James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net

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