Page 21 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 15
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Wolfram Soldan (Germany)
Comment to
“Father Attachment and
Implications for Faith
and the Church”
It is a promising approach to connect attach-
ment theory with the Christian believe. In
Germany Sonja Friedrich-Killinger has done Physician, psychotherapist, supervisor,
a high-quality pioneer work with her docto- teacher in counseling training on va-
ral thesis “The Attachment Relationship with rious topics such as forgiveness, sexuality,
God: A dynamic impact factor in therapy?” dealing with the Bible (married, four dau-
(Verlag Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2014). Intere- ghters). Part of the German Association
sting for me was the focusing on father re- for Christian Psychology, www.ignis.de
lationship in the article of Steven L. Voss. In
Germany Hitler and the second world war Former contributions in our eJournal
‘de-fathered’ our society and we have this as by Wolfram you can see here:
an actual topic repeatedly since Alexander http://emcapp.ignis.de/2/#/48
Mitscherlich’s publication in 1963 “On the http://emcapp.ignis.de/2/#/76
way to a fatherless society” (cf. also “The fa- http://emcapp.ignis.de/4/#/6
therless society” of the well-known journalist https://emcapp.ignis.de/11/#p=64
Matthias Mattusek, publishing house Fischer
2006).
‘Unsecure attached people’ in her unsureness
I agree when the author cites Erikson “trust have often has more awareness to their own
is the foundation to basic functioning” and I need for safe relational bonding. That points
like to add: Trust (or faith) is the foundation to a dynamic where a God who is seeking us
of ‘spiritual functioning’ (whatever is not of may let happen an experience of ‘Finally I have
faith separates us from God; cf. Rom14,23b). found HIM and I’ve been found!’ And now,
Interesting for me are the findings, that un- are ‘avoidant attached people’ in a kind cut off
secure attached people tend to experience from God (‘shut door’)? There is an empirical
sudden conversions and that an avoidant at- appearance for this conclusion but this could be
tachment style on the basis of lacking father biased because we don’t (can) see the end. There
relationship and spiritual role model of him are hints in the case of several of the atheistic
seems to shut the door to God: intellectual giants of the 20th century, that they
experienced a change in old age or at the very
I could understand this as a kind of causali- end of their lives. May be for the ‘attachment-
ty or more complex as a dynamic of relatio- avoiders’ the door to God is opening only later.
nal acting of God. The latter I wish to outline An empirical approach to this question is diffi-
here: ‘Securely attached people’ in a manner cult especially when happening on the death-
of speaking have a bridge to a safe trust in bed. But it still remains the big loss and damage
God which they can use but sometimes they for the atheists themselves, who lived most of
do not, because they do not grievously miss their lives without knowing a them loving God.
God. This makes difficult the approach of And because of this ignorance they influenced
God to them. their society ‘ungodly’.
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