Religion and metaphor

Abstract

I use the gospel of Mark and the gospel of John to demonstrate that religion uses a lot of metaphors. I then turn to Lacan to analyze the conditions required to be able to deal with metaphors. Lacan argues that the child originally forms a symbiotic relationship with the mother. When the child sees that the mother has an interest in the father, the child then tries to find out what mark in the father is of interest to the mother. The child then identifies with that mark and makes it the center of its identity. The child thereby becomes psychologically a different child. Still the child remains John Smith. To be the same and be different is the definition of a metaphor. The presence of a paternal figure in the life of a child is the reason why such a child can deal with metaphors and is ready for religious metaphors. The question then arises what happens to children of single mothers? Do such children lack the connection with metaphors such that they will be less religious or do they have other sources for being religious like the experience that they lack something important as they have no biological father.

Keywords: Religion, metaphor

DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/59-05

Publication date: August 30^th 2025