The Divine Masquerade - A Psychoanalytic Theory about the Play of Gender in Religion

Abstract

The argument I am advancing in this lecture is composed of three interlocking parts: the first is a methodological reflection about the relationship of psychoanalysis and religion; the second is a discussion about gender and religion in the context of Freud's theory of theism followed by an update inspired by the work of Nancy Chodorow; and the third is an application of Melanic Klein's concepts of envy and jealousy to traditional religions and the contemporary women's spirituality movement.