Psychology and religion

Discussions of the relationships between psychology and religion in the context of the relations of psychology with other academic disciplines have to be informed first by the unique nature of religion. Since the relationship between psychology and religion is not one between two disciplines, but the relationship of an academic discipline to its subject matter, this subject matter should be defined and delineated. There is no intrinsically religious meaning in anything. Any object, person, time, or place may be imbued with holiness and thus gain religious meaning. Holiness is a realm of psychological content, rather than psychological function or structure. Religion seems to be an ideal subject matter for the psychologist. It is a system which is defined solely by the existence of beliefs and fantasies, which is a unique product of human cognitive capacities, and which is a reflection of human flexibility and creativity.