Finding Freedom
Renouncing Deceit: Transcendence and Vulnerability in the Conversion of Desire
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Margaret Felice
Rivalry and domination have perennially prompted conflict, on scales ranging from interpersonal to global. The field of mimetic theory identifies desire as a key factor in conflict, basing its conclusions on the work of Rene Girard, whose Deceit, Desire and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure was also his first burst of theorizing about how desire and imitation shape human hearts and societies. He concludes that a renunciation of pride and reorientation of one’s search for the transcendent is a key to freedom from triangular desire. This paper surveys Girard’s analysis of desire in Deceit, Desire and the Novel, emphasizing desire’s mimetic and spiritual qualities. Second, it reviews Girard’s claims about the release from that desire, exploring his descriptions of “vertical transcendence” and novelistic conversions. It concludes by suggesting vulnerability as a necessary condition for liberation from mimetic entrapment, exegeting Jesus’s vulnerability in the Gospels and drawing on the field of vulnerability ethics for insight into the relational awareness needed for spiritual freedom.
Lived Religion in the Face of Clerical Violence: The Case of Minor Victims of Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Catholic Clergy in France
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Josselin Tricou
This paper examines the impact of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the Catholic clergy, focusing on the destabilization of religious dispositions and the restructuring of victims' spiritual capital. In France, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase), established by the Church itself, has brought to light the scale of this violence. The revelation of these long-concealed abuses has fueled growing distrust toward the institution, leading to an increase in requests for debaptism and a decline in donations from the faithful. However, testimonies collected by the Commission reveal that, despite this mistrust, some victims continue to hold expectations of an institution that has failed them. For those who have not completely disaffiliated, their connection to Catholicism persists through adjustments in their beliefs, their identification with the faith, and their engagement with the Church. In some cases, victims' accounts even demonstrate an intensified commitment to internal Church reform, reflecting a paradoxical attachment despite the suffering they have endured.
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out: Spirituality and Counterculture in the Sixties: Psychedelic Insights, Spirituality and Community Transformation: Charting Timothy Leary’s Legacy
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Matteo Palombi
Timothy Leary's research represented a fundamentally transformative force for the counterculture of the Sixties. He was a charismatic figure who promoted the use of psychedelic substances as a means of expanding consciousness and as a path to new spiritual dimensions. His famous sentence, “Turn on, tune in, and drop out,” served as powerful advice for young people seeking peace and critical detachment from social norms perceived as inherently violent. Leary considered psychedelic experiences to be profound mystical states that could unveil new perspectives on reality, standing in stark contrast to the violence and alienation pervasive in American society. This vision inspired the formation of groups and communities, such as the League for Spiritual Discovery, as well as various communes that embraced his goal of making these experiences accessible through psychedelic substances, communal spaces, and music. Timothy Miller emphasized how the aim to live in a non-violent context played a central role in the emergence of intentional communities. Some of these communities were, in fact, comprised of marginalized youth (immigrants and red diaper babies, for instance). These communities, characterized by a strong spiritual sense, can be interpreted as spaces of shared vulnerability in which individuals sought protection and an alternative to the widespread violence in society. The general ethos of countercultures was to promote the search for alternative ways of life, far from the violence and aggression of American society.
