Carl Jung and his violent criticism of Protestantism.
Letters of C. G. Jung: Volume 2, 1951-1961
To Adolf Keller
Dear friend, 20 March 1951
What you feel as my anti-Protestant complex is an admittedly violent criticism of Protestantism, for
it is not where I would want it to be.
Now that the Catholic Church has taken the momentous step of the Assumption, Protestantism is really and truly nailed fast to the Patriarchal line of the Old Testament and way behindhand in the matter of dogmatic development.
The Catholic at least believes in continuing revelation, but the Protestant sees himself committed to an-oh so contradictory!-document like the Bible, and consequently cannot construct but merely demolish-vide the famous “demythologization” of Christianity.
As though statements about sacred history were not-mythologems!
God always speaks mythologically. If he didn’t, he would reveal reason and science.
I fight against the backwardness of Protestantism. I don’t want it to lose the lead.
I don’t want to turn back to the unconsciousness, the nebulosity, of Catholic concretism, so I also fight against the Protestant concretism of historicity and the vacuity of the Protestant message, which can only be understood today as an historical vestige.
If Christ means anything to me, it is only as a symbol.
As an historical figure he could just as well have been called Pythagoras, Lao-tse,
Zarathustra, etc.
I do not find the historical Jesus edifying at all, merely interesting because controversial.
I say this so that you may know where I stand.
I’d be glad if you would nevertheless have a talk with me.
So if ever you can find the time I shall be ready.
Again with best thanks for your attentive and good-natured letter,
Carl ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 9-10.