Sons of Patriarchy Empathy, Emotions, and Jesus
Jun 2, 2025
Becky Castle-Miller, a PhD student researching emotions in the Gospel of Luke, delves into the interplay of neuroscience, psychology, and faith. She explores how unhealthy emotional teachings can enable abuse within certain Christian contexts. The conversation touches on how emotions can be socially learned rather than innate, and critiques the distrust of emotions in conservative Christianity. Becky champions compassion as a biblical theme and argues that Jesus’s emotional life validates our humanity, emphasizing the importance of healthy emotional expression and healing.
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Jesus As An Emotion Socializer
- Becky Castle-Miller studied Jesus' emotions by combining neuroscience and biblical studies to show Jesus socializes followers' emotions.
- She noticed a mismatch between conservative Christian teaching and the emotional Jesus depicted in the Gospels.
Emotions Are Cognitive And Learnable
- Modern emotion science sees emotions as cognitive, learned, and entwined with thinking rather than uncontrollable instincts.
- This view lets scripture command emotions because emotions can be reshaped through learning and discipleship.
Constructed Emotions Explained
- Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory: emotions are constructed concepts built from bodily sensations, culture, language, and prediction.
- Learning new emotion concepts changes how we naturally feel in situations over time.
