The Illness That We Are: A Jungian Critique of Christianity

The psychology of C.G. Jung is currently gaining widespread and sympathetic acceptance in Christian circles.  Those concerned with the recovery of a revitalized Western spirituality quite rightly respond to Jung’s appreciation of Christian symbols and ritual, and the lively sense of the interior life that permeates so much of his work.

But Jung was also highly critical of some aspects of the Christian tradition, particularly its emphasis on perfection, rather than wholeness, as the goal of maturation.

Here is a thoughtful and comprehensive exploration of Jung’s attitudes by Catholic priest and Jungian analyst.  With scholarly insight, it reveals both the strengths and weaknesses of the Christian myth, in terms of the psychological and religious search for meaning, and its potential significance for collective survival.  Particular attention is given to the history of Western spiritual development and Jung’s views that the Gnostic, mystical and alchemical traditions contain the necessary compensation for the extraverted and essentially masculine ideals of Christianity.

“If the Christian community is to truly assimilate and integrate Jung’s message,” writes the author, “then the reasons for our current spiritual truncation and the extent of our one-sidedness must be faced in depth.”