An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

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Mlw
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An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

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Abstract: Jung argues that the symbols of Christianity are no longer alive, and as a result they have lost their healing function. As a restorative he professes an immanent Godhead, symbolized by the quaternity. The devil, or the alchemical Mercurius, shall be elevated as the fourth person of the Godhead. The article evaluates Jung’s quaternarian theology and measures it against trinitarian theology. Jung’s metaphysical postulates, such as the mental unconscious, are criticized. The spiritual plight of modern man is discussed. Luther’s theology ought to be complemented with a good understanding of summum bonum.

Keywords: quaternity, trinity, nature of evil, the Self, Christ, complexio oppositorum, summum bonum, privatio boni, theology of the cross, Jung, Luther.

[url=http://mlwi.magix.net/jungtheology.htm]An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung[/url]
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Mlw
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Re: An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

Post by Mlw »

Correction: http://mlwi.magix.net/jungtheology.htm
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JackDaydream
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Re: An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

Post by JackDaydream »

Mlw wrote: July 31st, 2022, 7:24 am Correction: http://mlwi.magix.net/jungtheology.htm
I have read the article and find it interesting, especially in relation to Jung's book, 'Answer to Job', in which he discusses in depth the problem of evil and speaks of the quaternity being more in line with the 'wholeness' of the psyche, including evil and the feminine principle.

However, the article seems to gloss over the Jungian perspective on religion, especially in its title which sees his argument in connection with theology. While he did have ongoing exchange with the theologian, Victor White, he was not writing from a theological angle primarily. His approach to religion drew upon Gnosticism and Eastern religion. The Gnostic aspect was important because his understanding of the idea of God was based on a Gnostic sense of knowledge, in terms of religious experience. He also adopts a symbolic interpretation of religious texts and his entire approach to God is with reference to the image of God. He sees the reality of God as difficult to establish, drawing on Kantian metaphysics, especially the problem of knowledge of the numinous.
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Mlw
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Re: An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

Post by Mlw »

I'm glad you like it. Yes, it's true that he is symbolically oriented and has adopted some sort of Kantian epistemology, which makes him even more subjectivistic. But he makes theological arguments all the time; about Christology, theodicy, the Trinity, the nature of God, church ritual, etc. We can't allow the Jungians a free pass by tolerating their view that Jung's perspective represents "psychological truth" and stands above theology. Jung uses this fake argument all the time.

Anyway, both his Kantian epistemology and his philosophy of science are obsolete. I discuss it here: http://mlwi.magix.net/jungmetaphysic.htm ("Jung’s metaphysic and epistemology: Platonism or Phenomenology?"). But also here: http://mlwi.magix.net/privatioboni.htm ("Carl Jung, privatio boni, and the return of Manichaeism"). In the latter article I also discuss Jung and the Book of Job.
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The Beast
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Re: An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

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Jung: Perhaps Jung was referring to the shadow (devil) quaternion and his idea of projection. He (Jung) did consider the Chinese mind and Kant’s ideas of causality and… an idea of trance. It is about the moment and the how. “Thus, it happens when one throws the three coins, or counts through the forty-nine yarrow stalks, these chance details enter into the picture of the moment of observation and form part of it (insignificant to us), yet most meaningful to the Chinese mind”. In all: It is inspirational content from the I Ching and the hexagrams in his idea of synchronicity.
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Re: An Assessment of the Theology of Carl Gustav Jung

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The Beast wrote: August 1st, 2022, 10:26 am...
Yes, it's a mess. It is Kant and Plato, Taoism, German Romanticism (Goethe, Nietzsche, etc.), alchemy and Swedenborgianism, etc., etc.
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