theology in the flesh: religious experience and the embodied soul james a. van slyke march 21, 2004
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Theology in the Flesh: Theology in the Flesh: Religious Experience and Religious Experience and
the Embodied Soul the Embodied Soul
James A. Van Slyke James A. Van Slyke
March 21, 2004 March 21, 2004
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Hierarchy of the Soul Hierarchy of the Soul
Rational powersWillUnderstanding Mind
Irrational powers MemorySense-perception Appetites
EmotionsDesires
Body
Control Exerted downward
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The Inward Turn The Inward Turn
Self Self Private, Inner Private, Inner Walks through spacious rooms, palace of sortsWalks through spacious rooms, palace of sorts
The ConfessionsThe Confessions refers to ‘spacious palaces of my refers to ‘spacious palaces of my memory’ memory’
RationalityRationality Reason is the contemplation of the world of formsReason is the contemplation of the world of forms It is an inward turn toward the objects of god’s It is an inward turn toward the objects of god’s
creationcreation separated from the created world separated from the created world
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Inward TurnInward Turn
Religious ExperienceReligious Experience God is found inside the person and above the God is found inside the person and above the
soulsoul Soul is the part of the person most like God, Soul is the part of the person most like God,
and therefore most able to commune with him and therefore most able to commune with him Body Body
Secondary in all aspects Secondary in all aspects Body is mutable, lower on the hierarchy and Body is mutable, lower on the hierarchy and
thus more prone to corruptionthus more prone to corruption
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Consequences of this viewConsequences of this view The Inner SelfThe Inner Self
Directs attention to something that Directs attention to something that doesn’t existdoesn’t exist
Promotes an individualist understanding Promotes an individualist understanding of religious experience of religious experience
Disconnected from the bodyDisconnected from the body Body is at best secondary to the soulBody is at best secondary to the soul Religious experience disconnected from Religious experience disconnected from
the communitythe community
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Consequences of this ViewConsequences of this View
More emphasis on individual human More emphasis on individual human experiences rather than communalexperiences rather than communal Taking care of the poor Taking care of the poor Emphasizing the kingdom of god now Emphasizing the kingdom of god now
rather than later rather than later Relationship with God seen as the Relationship with God seen as the
community of Christ in relationship with community of Christ in relationship with god rather than separate individuals god rather than separate individuals
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The Embodied The Embodied Soul Soul
Nonreductive physicalism Nonreductive physicalism Soul is embodied the physicality of the Soul is embodied the physicality of the
human personhuman person Not an immaterial property Not an immaterial property
Soul is an aspect of the person rather Soul is an aspect of the person rather than a partthan a part
Develops through the emergence of Develops through the emergence of personal relatedness with others and God personal relatedness with others and God
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Importance of the BodyImportance of the Body Rationality and Religious Rationality and Religious
experience are developed experience are developed through embodiment through embodiment
Our bodies help to inform and Our bodies help to inform and give life to our abstract give life to our abstract thoughts and conceptionsthoughts and conceptions
ExamplesExamples ““Warmth” as a description of a Warmth” as a description of a
positive relationship positive relationship “ “Important is big” Important is big”
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Bodily MetaphorsBodily Metaphors
Theory of ConflationTheory of Conflation During early development, sensorimotor During early development, sensorimotor
experiences and subjective judgments are experiences and subjective judgments are interconnectedinterconnected
““warmth” connected to physical closenesswarmth” connected to physical closeness ‘‘Important is big’ connected to parental figures Important is big’ connected to parental figures
Over time these two domains are Over time these two domains are differentiated but never completely differentiated but never completely separated separated
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Primary MetaphorsPrimary Metaphors
There are certain metaphors that we There are certain metaphors that we use due to our embodimentuse due to our embodiment Control is Up Control is Up Knowing is SeeingKnowing is Seeing An Augustinian exampleAn Augustinian example
The ConfessionsThe Confessions
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Religiosity in the BodyReligiosity in the Body
Feminist Theory and the body Feminist Theory and the body Women have historically been Women have historically been
connected more with the bodyconnected more with the body More connected with material existenceMore connected with material existence Spiritual experiences not as valuedSpiritual experiences not as valued Women’s bodily experiences were seen as Women’s bodily experiences were seen as
inferior inferior
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Religiosity in the BodyReligiosity in the Body
Sacraments Sacraments What women do naturallyWhat women do naturally
Give birth, feed, comfort Give birth, feed, comfort Bodily experiences in the physical world Bodily experiences in the physical world
Sacraments spiritualized Sacraments spiritualized Emphasis on the ‘otherworldly’ nature of the Emphasis on the ‘otherworldly’ nature of the
sacramentssacraments Taking women’s experiences and Taking women’s experiences and
spiritualizing themspiritualizing them
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Body Theology Body Theology
Theology as embodied religious Theology as embodied religious experiencesexperiences The gendered person becomes the The gendered person becomes the
subject of theological reflectionsubject of theological reflection Women’s experiences inform theology Women’s experiences inform theology
and are celebratedand are celebrated Gendered language is accepted as part Gendered language is accepted as part
of the theological discussion of the theological discussion
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Conclusion – Theology in the Conclusion – Theology in the Flesh Flesh
Change in conceptualization Change in conceptualization Dualism to embodied soulDualism to embodied soul Body informs religious experiences and Body informs religious experiences and
conceptsconcepts Religious ExperienceReligious Experience
Not an isolated individual experience Not an isolated individual experience Relational experienceRelational experience Gendered experienceGendered experience