Christianity in Jung's Understanding of The unconscious

Abstract

This research paper examines Jung’s understanding of psychology and religion — the Christian religion in particular — relative to his grasp of the unconscious. In his studies of psychology and religion C. G. Jung justifiably concludes that it is necessary to reexamine religion history to a certain extent, in order to facilitate our grasp of the condition of the human psyche and also to enable us to discover the basic impact that religion exerts upon man. According to Jung, religious symbols represent psychological processes, or rather the process of individuation, the purpose of which is spiritual maturation. He concludes that one of the main religious symbols in Christianity is Jesus Christ, who in the human psyche symbolizes the self. We must keep in mind, however, that Jung compares Christ with the self in the religious sense and now in the theological sense, as his point of departure lies in the psychological sciences and not in Christian teaching.