Jung's most contrarian insight concerns the nature of divinity itself—God is not purely benevolent but encompasses both creation and destruction, grace and terror. His childhood vision of God defiling Basel Cathedral revealed that 'God could be something terrible,' challenging conventional religious dogma. This paradoxical understanding extends to the human psyche: wholeness requires integrating not just our light but our shadow aspects. Jung critiques traditional Christianity for splitting off evil into a separate principle (Satan), arguing instead that psychological maturity demands confronting the totality of existence. His interpretation of Job's story illustrates this: God contains both loving and destructive aspects that humans must reconcile within themselves. This framework transforms spirituality from blind faith to conscious engagement with life's fundamental paradoxes. | Carl Jung | Memories, Dreams, Reflections

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God as Paradox: The Integration of Light and Shadow

Jung's most contrarian insight concerns the nature of divinity itself—God is not purely benevolent but encompasses both creation and destruction, grace and terror. His childhood vision of God defiling Basel Cathedral revealed that 'God could be something terrible,' challenging conventional religious dogma. This paradoxical understanding extends to the human psyche: wholeness requires integrating not just our light but our shadow aspects. Jung critiques traditional Christianity for splitting off evil into a separate principle (Satan), arguing instead that psychological maturity demands confronting the totality of existence. His interpretation of Job's story illustrates this: God contains both loving and destructive aspects that humans must reconcile within themselves. This framework transforms spirituality from blind faith to conscious engagement with life's fundamental paradoxes.

-- Carl Jung