Fun Size Bytes

Just two journal articles I’ve come across from one of my favorite professors from seminary, Don Capps who taught psychology of religion.

Here’s the abstract from the first, emphasis added.

I argue that the decline in moral disapproval of masturbation in the American religious culture over the last half-century is directly responsible for increased moral disapproval of homosexuality. Moral disapproval previously directed toward masturbators is being redirected instead toward homosexuals. Since masturbation has been practiced by the overwhelming majority of individuals who self-identify with the American religious culture, while homosexual acts have been engaged in by a significantly smaller number of individuals who self-identify with this culture, the displacement of moral disapproval from masturbatory behavior to homosexual behavior leads to the stigmatization of those who engage in homosexual behavior, and an attitude of moral superiority and personal condescension inevitably follows. Nineteenth and twentieth century writings on the perils and evils of masturbation are cited in support of this argument.

Well there’s an argument I haven’t heard before…

And the second one is a response (in a peer-reviewed journal) to an article from The Onion.

Yes, the same The Onion that you’re thinking of.

No, he didn’t misunderstand the nature of the site. He just thinks they misdiagnosed God as bipolar and suggests narcissistic personality disorder is more likely.

Abstract This article endorses the contention that God suffers from a mental disorder, but challenges J. Henry Jurgens’ diagnosis of bipolar disorder as reported in The Onion (“God diagnosed with bipolar disorder”, 2001) and proposes narcissistic personality disorder instead. It uses the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder from The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, 1994) and various biblical citations in support of this diagnosis. It rejects the idea that a major personality change is reflected in the New Testament and claims that God did not experience a major transformation of his narcissistic personality structure as described by Heinz Kohut (Forms and transformations of narcissism, in A. P. Morrison, Ed., Essential papers on narcissism, pp. 61–87, New York University Press, New York, 1966/1986). However, it concludes that God’s creativity accounts for the stability of his narcissistic personality structure and helps to explain his lack of empathy toward human beings.

The frosting on the cake? This professor also sounds a little like Jimmy Stewart when he talks, so I read all of his articles in that voice.

ps - yes, this is what I’m doing with my Sunday, while listening to jazz and waiting for Dexter to come on. Why, what do you do to relax?