The Psychology of God is a scientific study of various aspects of human development and behavior taken from both a theological and psychological perspective. The main premise is this: If we are called children of God, then how we grew physically as children may be associated with how we grow spiritually as children of God; furthermore, how God raised us as His children may reflect how we should raise our children.The Psychology of God points out that modern scientific psychology has discovered that ancient references to the heart, body, mind, and soul correspond to the modern understanding of these four components of which a human being is comprised. However, in other aspects, such as psychological therapy, the Bible and Modern Psychology differ immensely.While the author openly admits his belief in a personal God, The Psychology of God is a scientific work based on scientific facts. In-text citations reference the peer-reviewed sources of statements and claims made throughout the book. An extensive bibliography list offers and encourages the reader to dig deeper into the psychology of God; and discover their purpose in life, which is the road to happiness and life satisfaction. Dr. Eric J. Kolb was born and raised on a farm in Nineveh, PA. His father was a professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his mom was and still is a cowgirl. When He was two, he and his adopted sister were sleeping in their crib when a fire broke out. His dad was able to climb into a second-story window and save the two kids. Thus, Kolb grew up knowing that God had a special purpose for his life. In high school, Kolb started with a very promising future in sports, but injuries, most likely due to muscle dystrophy, led him down an academic path. Upon graduation with a bachelor's in Math from Ohio University, Kolb wanted to spend a summer in Germany as a street performer. Kolb became a professional performing artist, but once again, his illness changed his path. Thus, Kolb went back to school, obtained his master's in psychological counseling and later his Ph.D. in general psychology.

Drawing on a wealth of new evidence, pioneering research psychologist David DeSteno shows why religious practices and rituals are so beneficial to those who follow them—and to anyone, regardless of their faith (or lack thereof). Scientists are beginning to discover what believers have known for a long time: the rewards that a religious life can provide. For millennia, people have turned to priests, rabbis, imams, shamans, and others to help them deal with issues of grief and loss, birth and death, morality and meaning. In this absorbing work, DeSteno reveals how numerous religious practices from around the world improve emotional and physical well-being. With empathy and rigor, DeSteno chronicles religious rites and traditions from cradle to grave. He explains how the Japanese rituals surrounding childbirth help strengthen parental bonds with children. He describes how the Apache Sunrise Ceremony makes teenage girls better able to face the rigors of womanhood. He shows how Buddhist meditation reduces hostility and increases compassion. He demonstrates how the Jewish practice of sitting shiva comforts the bereaved. And much more. DeSteno details how belief itself enhances physical and mental health. But you don’t need to be religious to benefit from the trove of wisdom that religion has to offer. Many items in religion’s “toolbox” can help the body and mind whether or not one believes. How God Works offers advice on how to incorporate many of these practices to help all of us live more meaningful, successful, and satisfying lives.

In this controversial book, philosopher and psychoanalyst Jon Mills argues that God does not exist; and more provocatively, that God cannot exist as anything but an idea. Put concisely, God is a psychological creation signifying ultimate ideality. Mills argues that the idea or conception of God is the manifestation of humanity’s denial and response to natural deprivation; a self-relation to an internalized idealized object, the idealization of imagined value. After demonstrating the lack of any empirical evidence and the logical impossibility of God, Mills explains the psychological motivations underlying humanity’s need to invent a supreme being. In a highly nuanced analysis of unconscious processes informing the psychology of belief and institutionalized social ideology, he concludes that belief in God is the failure to accept our impending death and mourn natural absence for the delusion of divine presence. As an alternative to theistic faith, he offers a secular spirituality that emphasizes the quality of lived experience, the primacy of feeling and value inquiry, ethical self-consciousness, aesthetic and ecological sensibility, and authentic relationality toward self, other, and world as the pursuit of a beautiful soul in search of the numinous. Inventing God will be of interest to academics, scholars, lay audiences and students of religious studies, the humanities, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, among other disciplines. It will also appeal to psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and mental health professionals focusing on the integration of humanities and psychoanalysis.

What are the implications of a client’s image of God? Improve your confidence—and your practice skills—by enhancing your knowledge of how individuals are likely to perceive God, and of how those perceptions impact the way they function as human beings. Theologians have long speculated and theorized about how humans imagine God to be. This book merges theology with science, presenting empirical research focused on perceptions of God in a variety of populations living in community and mental health settings. Each chapter concludes with references that comprise an essential reading list, and the book is generously enhanced with tables that make data easy to access and understand. “Liberating Images of God” discusses the constriction and impoverishment of God images due to the traditional restrictions of God images to those that are male and personified. This chapter examines the potential for the client and counselor’s co-creation of images of God which embrace the feminine as well as the masculine, the nurturer as well as the warrior, and the natural world in all its dimensions as well as the human world, to liberate, enrich, sustain, and transform the client’s relationships with God and with him/herself. “Attachment, Well-Being, and Religious Participation Among People with Severe Mental Disorders” examines the relationship between attachment states of mind and religious participation among people diagnosed with severe mental illness. “Concepts of God and Therapeutic Alliance Among People with Severe Mental Disorders” explores the transferential aspects of God representation among severely mentally ill adults. It highlights research on the relationship between a patient’s image of God and that patient’s working relationship with his/her case manager, and discusses the implications for clinical practice of those findings. “The Subjective Experience of God” presents a theory about the psychological basis for the experience of God that argues that this experience is essentially a form of projection and as such is an internal event that does not exist independent of an individual’s psyche. This chapter draws a distinction between faith in a particular belief—namely, faith in the existence of a loving, omnipotent God—and an attitude of faith, which is the basis for experiences of transcendence. “Relationship of Gender Role Identity and Attitudes” presents the results of a study in which nearly 300 Catholic attendees at three university Catholic centers completed the Bern Sex Role Inventory, the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, and the Perceptions of God Checklist. This chapter looks at images of God as masculine or feminine, and at the connection for people between the way they perceive God and the way they relate towards men and women. “Reflections on a Study in a Mental Hospital,” brings you groundbreaking new research on perceptions of God in an inpatient population. This chapter examines the positive effects (as opposed to the negative effects previously portrayed by the psychological community) of religious belief and practice for residential care patients in a psychiatric hospital.

The first book in the series "The Psychology of God," deals with a substantial list of psychological subjects, through the wisdom hidden inside the biblical account of Haman. The book explores the deeper meanings concealed in the ten Hebrew names of the sons of Haman, the evil architect of the destruction of the Jewish Nation, from the Bible's Book of Esther. All ten men who served the corrupt Haman, who plotted to destroy the Jews, were killed and then hung upon the gallows by order of Queen Esther. The story chronicles this prophecy as it echoes through history, as ten more men are executed upon the gallows who served evil: the Nuremberg Trials. The world condemned the modern "sons of Haman" who assisted their modern version of Haman: Adolph Hitler. For thousands of years, the book explains, hidden in the ancient Hebrew names of these ten "sons," are the natures of the enemies of God. And, in fact, as we examine each name of the ten sons of Haman, we discover the declaration of personality "problems" in Man. No exceptions. The bully, the gossip, the arrogant man, the self-righteous one, and more. Could this be the "psychology" of the Bible? The Holy Scripture appears to be holding secrets to negative, pervasive attributes in human personality, from false humility to self-pity. But as we continue reading Ten Sons of Haman, we see that these undesirable traits are present in everyone to some degree, and the only way to mitigate these traits is to use the counsel of God Himself, through the Word He provides. This is the challenge to us, as obedient Children of God. "The Psychology of God: Ten Sons of Haman" presumes that God identifies these ten traits with the individuals who plotted to abolish the Jewish nation, the worst enemies that He has ever had upon the earth. These are people even worse than the Pharisees, the ones who hate God, and hate His people, and seek to destroy them. We see it today in the modern world, the enemies of God attempting to destroy Israel. We see this in such comments as from the former President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who expresses the desire to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth." These people still exist today who want to finish Haman's job. The Psychology of God: Ten Sons of Haman exposes evil traits in every human personality. The book is "psychology from a biblical perspective," as each of the ten names are related back to other stories of the Bible in which people with these traits appear. The book suggests how the true believer in Christ can change these undesirable attributes to ones that glorify God. It is a handy guide for any Christian therapist, doctor, or counselor who wants to use scripture to help people to understand where many of their problems originate. Each page of The Psychology of God is packed with information. The author goes through all ten Hebrew names in detail, giving many examples of their meaning, and a wealth of biblical scripture to support each point. This virtually hands the reader a great launching point to initiate further research on his own. Among the conclusions drawn from this book is the idea that, unlike secular psychology which constantly changes, the Bible's words of wisdom never change. The author maintains that biblical principles of healing and teaching are a rock upon which we can stand in understanding the nature of man. It suggests that the Word of God is built to heal us, not just physically, but in our hearts, mind, and spirit. The Psychology of God offers great hope and assurance to the sufferer of depression, guilt, and sadness, by reminding us that the Son of God, the Word made flesh, loves us perfectly and can heal us completely and permanently, if we'll give Him a chance. And that true joy in our hearts comes from knowing Him

In writing this book it is not my intent to upset the beliefs and practices of my colleagues. They do a wonderful work in providing a needed service to thousands of people who need counseling and direction in their life – others truly do have chemical imbalances that can only be handled by professionals in the mental health field. Whether they deal with cognitive issues or behavior patterns of disruption in their lives – these problems have to be dealt with by all of us – Christian, psychologists, or secular; we must all do our best to minister to the mentally ill. The purpose of this book was to take a look at how God view our mental conditions and how sin affects that condition. If the wages of sin is death – then we must look into God’s Psychology and learn from Him. How to break the curse that is upon us – (that includes all of us) I hope this book has helped you to further understand the purpose of God’s thinking toward us and his solution to the problem if “Sins Curse” and how he sent his son, Jesus, to destroy the death sentence that we all face – (Heb 2:14) (Act 4:12) ‘Dr. Richard Weathers commands a gif along with much scriptural knowledge of God’s Word. End-time events are presented and explained in a manner that you will understand. Exciting and amazing insight into God’s plan for us. Dr. Weather’s devotion to study and sharing with others is well above average. You will feel the strength and wisdom in each section of this book. You will be excited to share with others what you have just discovered through this person, God’s servant! Blessing as you read the following pages. -Dr. Linda L. Jones In my thirty-nine years as a minister of the gospel, I have never experienced such a profound book! God has provided Dr. Richard with outstanding insight of the end times through his studies of the book of Revelation. As the return of our Lord and Savior draws near, the wisdom within the pages of this book is needful for this generation. -Reverend Gerry Bryant