Men and Their Religion: Honor, Hope, and Humor

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Are men more or less religious than women, and in what way In "Men and Their Religion", Donald Capps brings to life men's engagement with religion and provides insights into the rapid rise of men's religious organizations such as Promise Keepers. Capps says that men are just as religious as women, but in a different way. The religiousness of men is rooted in a deep sense of melancholoy, a sense originating when they are small boys separating emotionally from their mothers. Fathers also play a part in the religious development of men. The Judaeo-Christian tradition, Capps argues, requires the sacrifice of father-son love because the Father God is a jealous God, allowing no rivals. So for boys, the hoped-for attachment to their fathers never happens. As a result of this loss, the religion of men takes three forms: the religion of honour, the religion of hope and the religion of humour. Capps uses two case studies to show the ways in which men with religious melancholia may develop a compensating religion of honour on one hand and a religion of hope on the other. Finally, religious melancholy can be countered through humour, and Capps concludes that if men had their way there would be more humour in religion and humour would be recognized as religious.

Reviews

"In this devastatingly hopeful book, Donald Capps pursues the psychological headwaters of an incurably melancholic--and idiosyncratically religious--disposition at the heart of every boy and man. Refusing to avert his gaze at points where others grow sqeamish or sentimental, Capps names the discomfiting truth he discovers there, affording readers a sense of exposure that leads to recognition and transformation. Every man will find himself in this book. No man will remain unmoved by it." -- Robert C. Dykstra * Blurb from reviewer *
"What has been hidden, is now revealed; most men are religious--and deeply so! Capps' book provides a fascinating and illuminating journey into heretofore uncharted depths of men's religious experience. Invaluable for anyone interested in the formation and dynamics of men's and boy's spiritualities."--Patricia H. Davis, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University -- Patricia H. Davis * Blurb from reviewer *
"Daringly innovative, yet reaching into the deepest traditions of psychoanalysis, Donald Capps finds a man's religion rooted in far more nuanced and primitive aspects of the boy's encounter with mother and father figures--far beyond Oedipus--than psychoanalytic theorists have generally been comfortable with recognizing. His intricate theorizing is sure to be much debated, and productively so. "He identifies three inevitable characteristics of men's religion, which are sure to be much cited and much adopted by students of religion. To the familiar 'good boy'--the Honor of the subtitle--and searcher or quester--Hope--Capps adds Humor, the gently ironic jokester who relativizes with a spoof any undue ponderousness of the first two."--James E. Dittes, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology and Psychology, Yale University -- James E. Dittes * Blurb from reviewer *
"Drawing on the insights of classical theorists--the likes of Freud, Erickson, and James--and others who explore the relationship between psychology and religiosity, Donald Capps makes a convincing case that men are in fact religious, and deeply so, especially in ways they may not be aware of or capable of articulating...Given a growing interest in men's ministries and male spirituality, Men and Their Religion provides the most solid discussion I have seen to date for understanding the ways in which men in our culture can be viewed as being deeply, though perhaps non-traditionally, religious or spiritual. This book would be useful for spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, priests, and pastors-men and women alike-who serve men and who seek a better understanding of the psychological roots of their religious experience."--Jonathan Linman, The General Theological Seminary, New York, for Anglican Theological Review -- Jonathan Linman * Blurb from reviewer *
"Donald Capps is a clear writer. Major themes are repeated in different contexts to enhance the possibility of understanding. Capps is also bold about articulating theories about human behavior. The framework for those theories is largely Freudian. Men and their Religion will make the most sense and be more clearly understood by people who have a Freudian psychoanalytic background and orientation."--Herb Anderson, Family Ministry, Vol. 17 No. 3, Fall 2003 -- Herb Anderson * Blurb from reviewer *

Author Bio

Donald Capps is Professor of Pastoral Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary. His books include Jesus: A Psychological Biography, Freud and Freudians on Religion, Men, Religion, and Melancholia, and Social Phobia: Alleviating Anxiety in an Age of Self-promotion. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.