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

Hierarchy of the Soul Hierarchy of the Soul

Rational powersWillUnderstanding Mind

Irrational powers MemorySense-perception Appetites

EmotionsDesires

Body

Control Exerted downward

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

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

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

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

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

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”

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

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

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

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

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

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