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Dieser Beitrag widmet sich den bedeutsamsten theoretischen Stufen in der Vorgeschichte der Religionspsychologie in Deutschland, die sich im Laufe des langen 19. Jahrhunderts entwickelte. Die unterschiedlichen Skizzen und Projekte der psychologischen Forschung auf religiösem Gebiet wurden damals vor allem im theologischen Milieu entworfen. Die Haupttendenzen ihrer konzeptuellen Entwicklung können anhand der Bedeutungsveränderung der ‚Stichwörter' wie [religiöse] Erfahrung, Selbstbeobachtung und Wert nachverfolgt werden. Von Anfang an zielten Philosophen wie J. Fries und Theologen wie Chr. Weisse auf größtmögliche Exaktheit und Strenge der zu erarbeitenden Methode. Sie setzten dabei ihre Hoffnungen in die Selbstbeobachtung, aber der Einfluss W. Wundts ließ Zweifel daran aufkommen. Deshalb glaubten manche Theologen ab den 1890er Jahren, die unvermeidlichen Nachteile der Introspektion durch die Anwendung der interaktiven bzw. instrumentalen Methoden der psychologischen Untersuchung aufheben zu können. Außerdem waren die deutschen religionspsychologischen Entwürfe des 19. Jahrhunderts stark axiologisch orientiert: Es handelte sich um die Wertgefühle bzw. Werturteile (d. h. weltanschaulich bzw. doktrinell gefärbtes affektives Fürwahrhalten) als wesentlichster Bestandteil der Religiosität überhaupt. Diese Tendenz schwächte sich zum Ende des langen 19. Jahrhunderts ab. Summary: This paper traces the main theoretical stages, which led to the emergence of psychology of religion in Germany. Different sketches and projects of psychological research were produced by Protestant, primarily Lutheran theologians during the whole long 19th century. The reconstruction of the changing meaning of 'key words' such as [religious] experience, introspection and worth illustrates the development of concepts and ideas. From the very beginning of the 19th century philosophers like J. Fries and after him, in the middle of the century, the theologian Chr. Weisse followed an ideal of exact psychological knowledge, which had its source in introspection i. e. observation of inner experience. The later progress in experimental psychology (W. Wundt) contributed to the complication of arguments as well as to the critical rethinking of the heuristic value of introspection. Besides that, the original trait of the German theological sketches in the domain of psychology of religion consisted in their prevalent axiological orientation, shaped within the frames of Kantianism. Value judgments (Werturteile) were considered as an essential element of the religious consciousness in general. This tendency was weakened by the end of the long 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the education of German landscape artist Hermann Ludwig Heinrich Fürst von Pückler-Muskau during his childhood and adolescence. The author focuses on the historical context of Pückler-Muskau's socialization as a member of the German nobility. Topics considered include the influence of the works of philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jakob Böhme on the young Pückler-Muskau, the evolution of Pückler-Muskau's philosophy of nature, and a religious conversion experience he may have experienced in the early 1800s.

This article analyses the 1936 “Wotan” essay by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in light of one of its reigning motifs, Ergriffenheit. First, this term is examined within the works of Protestant theologian Rudolf Otto and Indologist Jakob Wilhelm Hauer, who used it to describe what they claimed to be the original religious experience, a state of being deeply stirred or even seized by the “the holy” or by “the ultimate reality.” The article then examines antecedents in Jung's theory of states of psychic seizure, in which two halves of the psyche come into conflict, the resolution of which leads to an increased capacity to create the arts of culture. The analysis then moves to the “Wotan” essay itself, where Jung brings together his own theory of psychic seizure with the theory of the original religious experience as proposed by the above-named scholars of religion in order to suggest that, under National Socialism, the Germans were in the midst of a collective confrontation with their own inner divinity, which should lead to a national spiritual rebirth. The article then investigates the works of several of the men Jung mentions in the essay, as well as his use of ancient Germanic mythology, to support his claim. Through his portrait of the Germanic archetype Wotan, Jung psychologizes and thereby essentializes the Romantic image of the Germans as “a people of poets and philosophers” as well as that of a Nietzschean “master-race.” In conclusion, the article argues that, at least in 1936, Jung's attitude towards Hitler and National Socialism was much more favorable than has previously been recognized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the current climate of increasing alienation from religion, traditional concepts no longer suffice to explain the relation between education and religion. Thus, Religious Education needs to take on the task of reconceiving of this relation. This article looks specifically at Religious Education in Germany. The term religious literacy, which is understood here as religious competency, is of particular importance. Competency in religion, just as in other subjects of study, is determined by one's knowledge and experience. This article begins by explicating the necessity of Religious Education using an example. The final two sections look at the notion of religious competency by examining the meaning of religious knowledge and religious experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]