Freud's Mask

In Freud’s theory of religion, guilt and feelings of ‘sin’ are the result of failing to live up to the standards of the father figure ‘God’ and the mother figure ‘Church.’ While interesting, this does little to help us understand our life and world. While he places the question in the hands of failed expectations, it seems more pointed for it to be in the hands of the failure. Instead of dealing with the failure, he tries to mitigate the feeling of or the intensity of the failure. In missing this, he missed the place for faith in life.


So often in life we inadvertently take Freud’s approach. We know the failings stack up, but do what we can to ignore them, explain them, or normalize them. Faith on the other hand consists of a defining commitment that both gives meaning to the failings while also redefining us and pulling us out the them. It is like we are all wearing masks of some sort that we try to get used to, try to expect to see, and try to think are normal. We get so used to seeing this that it is hard to see past what is into what could or should be. Indeed, apart from faith, we cannot. It is in faith alone that the mask is removed to show who we really are and holds up the mirror that allows us to see the reality that should be. Our failings will always be, but it is faith that pulls us out of the pit of despair, the pit of willful ignorance, so that God can make us more like Christ. This is why it is a defining commitment. It doesn’t leave us where we are, but brings us to where we ought to be. In our failings it is easy to leave the mirror, forget ourselves and put our mask back on. But through a life of constant repentance, God in his grace doesn’t leave us to be lost but once again removes the mask and says, ‘go, love your neighbor.’


Instead of merely being a way to deal with struggles in life or a way of dealing with failings - Freud and our mistake - in faith we both understand the failings for what they are and are brought beyond them by being given a new identity through the removal of our mask. No mask’s silver lining is better than knowing and seeing what is beneath.