Serpent Handling: A Photojournalist's Reflections

Through covering Pastor Randy "Mack" Wolford's ministry, Washington Post photojournalist Lauren Pond had become friends with him. She was there when he died from handling a rattlesnake at a service. Wolford was a serpent handler who tried to spread that form of worship throughout Appalachia. You can read Pond's brief essay reflecting on her encounters with Wolford, as well as view photos documenting her experience.

For a scholarly examination of serpent handling, read Ralph W. Hood's work. I've inserted links to his two books on the subject. He has published many excellent journal articles on it as well. They are well worth reading. You might supplement Professor Hood's work with that of Dennis Covington, the journalist who wrote Salvation on Sand Mountain, documenting his experience with serpent handling.

Another Hate Crime

This sad report comes from KUSI news, in California, where a Muslim woman was beaten to death in her own home. As this blogger writes, it makes one wonder just how much progress we've made in this country. Clearly, not enough.

Baptism and Eternity

One of the unusual features of Mormonism is its belief that all people must be baptized and perform other rituals on earth in order to live with God in the afterlife. To this end, the church has built many temples where these sacred ordinances are performed. It also has devoted untold resources to genealogy work in an effort to perform proxy "baptisms for the dead." The idea is that baptism is necessary but it is a physical act that the dead cannot complete, their soul having been separated from their body. So, a person stands in for the deceased, who then has the opportunity to accept or reject the ordinance performed on their behalf.

Recently someone performed the baptism of Simon Wiesenthal's parents, for whom the Simon Wiesenthal Center is named. This was in violation of an agreement reached by the LDS Church and Jewish leaders, who decry the baptismal practice. The Wiesenthal Center objected to the baptisms and the LDS Church has apologized for the incident, although the apology is not found at the church's newsroom site. That has been standard procedure in previous instances like this. (Update: Their statement now appears at this link.)

What is different this time is that they also have implemented a penalty to the person who violated the policy against baptisms like this. This is a new and positive change. There are details available at the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper story on the incident, although the newspaper routes links to its main page. (The article will likely be available for just a week before it goes behind their pay wall.)

There is also a more enlightened perspective on the issue from Jana Riess, who writes about religion and Mormonism. She points out that religions view rituals in different ways, and to try to simply discount the act by saying that if you don't believe in Mormon baptisms having any effect, you shouldn't object to a meaningless ritual, is to not completely understand the issue.

For a social psychologist who attends an LDS congregation, this is a fascinating issue. I try hard to be respectful toward others' religious beliefs, even though I have severe doubts about such things as the existence of God. I wish that my church devoted more of its resources toward helping the living, rather than fretting over the fate of the deceased. If eternity includes the active existence of the dead, there wouldn't seem to be any great rush needed to perform rituals to ensure their successful fate in the eons to come. Even in Mormon thought, as I understand it, baptisms and other rites can be conducted after the millennial return of Jesus. Why the rush?

Actually, the push to do such rituals makes a certain sense from a social psychological perspective. It keeps people involved, lends a sense of purpose, and reinforces the belief system, among other things.

Still, were it up to me the time and money devoted to baptisms like this would be focused on the problems of the living. Eternity will continue without our action now. There is no time like the present to alleviate suffering in the here and now.

The Fred Phelps Hatred Tour

I learned today that the Fred Phelps / Westboro Baptist Church Hatred Tour will be in Savannah tomorrow, May 22nd, just an hour's drive from me. I may go snap some photos for my class, if Fred and his crew weren't raptured today. If you are near Savannah and want to see the hatred tour for yourself, go to Christ Church on Bull Street, at 10:00 a.m.

Luke Galen on Religious Attitudes & Behavior

The link between attitudes and behavior has long fascinated social psychologists, who wonder how it is that people sometimes say one thing while doing another. For an application of this to religious attitudes and behavior, read this Grand Rapids Press story summarizing Luke Galen's research on the correspondence between attitudes and behaviors among religious fundamentalists.

Academic Freedom Decision in Religion Case

Inside Higher Ed reports a decision in a high-profile case involving the academic freedom of an adjunct faculty member teaching religion courses. The faculty member taught at a course on Catholicism at a state university, University of Illinois. After sending an email that some considered offensive he was dismissed. The story is well worth reading if you have interest in religious issues or academic freedom.

Obituary of William W. Meissner

Dr. Ana-Maria Rizzuto has kindly permitted me to post this obituary of W. W. Meissner, a prolific writer who worked to understand religious experience through the tools of psychoanalysis.

In Memoriam: Tribute to William W. Meissner, S.J., M.D.
1931 - 2010
by Ana-Maria Rizzuto, M.D.
The Psychoanalytic Institute of New England, East

It is a great honor to be asked to celebrate the life and the scholarly contributions of William W. Meissner. He was a very prominent psychoanalytic theoretician and clinician and a member of the Society of Jesus, a priest and scholar in several fields. His commitment to these two vocations as a Jesuit and as a psychoanalyst converged in his love of knowledge, his dedication to investigate every aspect of the mind and all varieties of human experience. He left few of those experiences untouched. Dr. Meissner contributed a significant literature to the interface between religion, religious experience, and psychoanalysis expanding and clarifying Freud’s understanding of the field. His book Psychoanalysis an Religious Experience (1984) is a classic in the filed. As a psychoanalyst, he also explored the historical perspectives of the origin of Christianity, cultic elements, Messianism and Sabbatianism, the Messiah and the Millennium and many other related issues. He wrote about the psychology of grace and contributed many papers to theological and philosophical journals. His Ignatius of Loyola:The Psychology of a Saint" (1992), focusing on the psychological understanding of the dynamic factors involved in the religious experiences of a remarkable man and saint, is a masterpiece.

His contributions to psychoanalytic theory are as numerous as they are significant. He investigated and clarified many issues of theory and technique. No one knows exactly how many papers he published, but I managed to count over three hundred. The same is true about his books. I believe he wrote 25 books.

Dr. Meissner’s clarity of thought in addressing anew so many theoretical and technical issues in psychoanalysis and the psychology of religion brought him to the rank of one of the greatest theoreticians of contemporary psychoanalysis, a "true luminary," as Drs. Massicote and Bursztajn said in their obituary for the Public Information Committee of the International Psychoanalytic Association.

He received the Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 1989 and the William C. Bier Award from the American Psychological Association in 2001 as a recognition of his outstanding contributions to the psychology of religion.

His many contributions to psychoanalysis will remain a source of significant learning for new generations of psychoanalysts, for the scholars of psychoanalytic theory, and for those interested in understanding of the psychodynamics of religious processes in the future.

Ana-Maria Rizzuto, M.D.
10 Rogers Street # 321
Cambridge, MA 02142 1248

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I would like to thank Dr. Rizzuto for providing this obituary of Dr. Meissner, who was a prolific writer and important psychoanalytic theorist. His most recent book was Time, Self, and Psychoanalysis but an important theme in his work focused on the psychology of religion. The following is a list of some of the books addressing religion.

To the Greater Glory: A Psychological Study of Ignatian Spirituality (Marquette Studies in Theology)


The Cultic Origins of Christianity: The Dynamics of Religious Development (Theology)


Thy Kingdom Come


Vincent's Religion: The Search for Meaning (Reshaping of Psychoanalysis)


Life and Faith: Psychological Perspectives on Religious Experience


Ignatius of Loyola: The Psychology of a Saint


Psychoanalysis and Religious Experience

W. W. Meissner

Psychoanalyst W. W. Meissner died recently. He worked extensively with the psychology of religion. An obituary is located at The Boston Globe. I hope to locate someone who is in a position to write an obituary for this site. If you would like to do this, please contact me. (Thanks, Michael Donahue, for letting me know about this news.)

Social Scientists Talking to Terrorists

The current issue of Edge features Scott Atran and Robert Axelrod describing why they talk to terrorists. Given the recent US Supreme Court decision, this is a particularly relevant topic for social scientists engaged in studying controversial religious groups.

US Supreme Court Ruling on Religion on Campus

The US Supreme Court ruled today on a case regarding religious expression in universities and colleges. The ruling confirms that religious groups may be expected to uphold anti-bias rules, and that it is not an infringement on their religious speech. Read more in Inside Higher Ed.

Conference on Takfir (Infidels)

An interesting news story forwarded to me reports on a conference to be held on the practice of declaring fellow Muslims infidels. Read more at this informative Global Post article.

Example for Class: Religious Discrimination

The Baltimore Sun reports on a Muslim whose application to be a foster parent was rejected, despite the fact that she was raised through the foster system. Read the details and share it with your students; this case seems very well-suited to generating class discussion. It is possible that there may be more to the story than is in the article, but as reported in the Sun it seems utterly amazing that such things would happen in 2010.

-- edited to add: A friend tells me that he saw another report that indicated the woman kept the dietary laws of Islam, but is not married to the man she is living with. If that is true, it takes the idea of "cafeteria religion" to a new level!

Applying Research: Ken Pargament

Bowling Green State University psychologist Kenneth Pargament is busy at work applying his research to problems faced by soldiers. Read this bgnews.com summary for more info on this unique aspect of the psychology of religion.

On the Need for Religious Education

Illustrating the need for greater religious education and awareness, an airplane made emergency landing when a Jewish teenager put on tefillin in order to say his prayers. When the crew asked him what he was doing, they apparently were dissatisfied with his explanation and ordered the New York to Louisville flight to land in Philadelphia so that they could investigate further. Sigh.

There is an element of truth in comedian Bengt Washburn's observation that "One person doing something weird -- he is just a nut. A group of people doing something weird -- well, that's just a church." (source) Something that is common in one religion and helps bring meaning to its adherents often seems strange to observers outside the faith. In some cases, it even can seem threatening. More religious education and awareness may not solve all of the world's problems, but it seems that at least in one case, it could have helped a plane reach its destination safely.

Essays Related to Religion

Here are two outstanding essays related to religion:

A fascinating examination of the intellectual and social history of Central Asia is found at Wilson Quarterly in an essay by Frederick Starr. He writes about the region's intellectual heights achieved about 1000 years ago, and the religious and other social factors responsible for its decline.

For something concerning morality, take the time to read David Grann's account of Cameron Todd Willingham's conviction for murder. Willingham's children died in a fire; he was convicted of setting the blaze and eventually was put to death for the act. The evidence seems clear, however, that he did not commit the crime, and Texas put to death an innocent man.

Kim Peek Dies

If I were to begin my psychology career now, and if I studied something other than the psychology of religion, it would be to study people like Kim Peek. Born without a corpus callosum, Peek was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man. His amazing ability to memorize left him with an estimated 9000 - 12000 books committed to memory, but at the cost of learning conceptual things with tremendous difficulty. Peek died December 19, 2009, of a heart attack at the age of 58. If you are interested in psychology, do yourself a favor and read about this remarkable person. His hometown newspapers offer stories here and here. This wikipedia biography also includes links to several media appearances that are worthwhile.

Nebraska Religious Discrimination Settlement

A religious discrimination case at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln has been settled. The case involved a woman, identified as Jane Doe, who claimed she was dismissed from her job as a youth program director after the university learned that she is a practicing witch. Her lawsuit sought to reinstate her employment, as well compensation for lost wages. The university agreed to settle the suit for $40,000.

Religious discrimination lawsuits occur from time to time, but for some reason this one caught my attention. Perhaps the fact that the subject of the lawsuit was a public university, which typically might be expected to represent tolerance for uncommon personal practices, that grabbed my attention. At any rate, the story might be useful for illustrating to students that religions can play an important role in marking social boundaries, etc.

Glimpse inside the Taliban

Readers of the New York Times can learn about the Taliban through David Rohde's series, Held by the Taliban. A Times reporter, Rohde was captured by while trying to interview a Taliban commander to complete a story he was working on. After being reassured somewhat by others, he left for the interview only to be taken captive by the very commander he sought to interview. His seven-month captivity gives readers insight into Taliban life, and offers many examples of psychological concepts. It is fascinating reading. You may need to register with the Times to read the story, but you can do so without receiving any unwanted mail from them.

Religious Extremism in Arizona

ABC15.com television reports on a church in Tempe whose pastor, Steven Anderson, prays that the President "die of brain cancer, like Ted Kennedy." The Faithful Word Baptist Church claims to be a family-centered church. If you have the stomach for it, you can listen to Anderson's sermons.

Honestly, studying religious belief is a fascinating thing... but it is disheartening sometimes.

Radio Program on Forgiveness

Minnesota Public Radio broadcast a program recently on forgiveness, and included as guests psychologist Michael McCullough, and religion scholar Anthony Stevens-Arroyo. You can listen to the program here.