Article August 28, 1989 Issue

Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

Excerpt from an interview with Robert Coles, author and a professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at Harvard—January 29, 1989

The Boston Globe Magazine

"[Interviewer:] Do you think that many psychologists and psychiatrists are too quick to dismiss religion? "[Dr. Coles:] That's one of the more unfortunate tendencies of some contemporary psychiatric theorists. They have no great interest in religious matters. ... They indulge in the sad spectacle of, for instance, calling a religious interest an evidence of neurosis or evidence of immaturity. ... There's no question that religion, like everything else, can be used in crazy ways. But there's much more to religious faith than some psychologists have been willing to acknowledge."

Reprinted with permission of the interviewer, D. C. Denison.

Editors' comment: While taking account of misuses of religion, Dr. Coles pinpoints a "sad spectacle"—the prevalent labeling of religious faith as a form of mental illness. And this isn't happening only in officially atheistic societies!

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Second Thought

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access