Religion, Belief And Unbelief. (International Series in the Psychology of Religion)

Vergote, Antoine

ISBN 10: 9042000058 ISBN 13: 9789042000056

Publisher: Editions Rodopi, 1996

This book focuses attention on the central elements of human religious existence. Vergote's primary aim and viewpoint are clear: to examine empirically and to interpret dynamically the psychological factors at work in the field of religion. Vergote consistently adheres to the position that psychology is neither philosophy nor theology and that its task is not to explain religion. In this work he situates religion as a cultural fact and studies how persons orient themselves to it, positively and/or negatively. Rather than emphasise and juxtapose belief and unbelief as alternative positions, he sees them as threads of experiences interwoven throughout the human existence of persons and institutions. In this context he studies motivations and their ambivalences, religious experiences and their ambiguities, conflicts between religious belief and unbelief, and the various expressions and practices of religion.

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Review:

Following Vergote's widely celebrated Guilt and Desire (English transl., 1988), this book provides English readers with a work that has already been highly appreciated in French, Italian, and Dutch editions. The style of the book, and its subject matter, make it interesting and informative reading not only for psychologists, but also for readers interested in religion, in cultural anthropology, in education and in therapeutic work. - Dr. Kathleen V. O'Connor, Lecturer in the School of Studies in Religion, The University of Sydney, Australia

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