Have you ever had someone project his or her own opinion onto you? Maybe, in his opinion, he thought you were lazy and treated you accordingly. You might have lost a job or a promotion because of someone’s prejudicial views projected onto you.
Projection as a defense mechanism.
Psychology: Psychological projection is the phenomenon whereby one projects one’s own thoughts, motivations, desires, feelings, and so on onto someone else (usually another person, but psychological projection onto animals, parents, children, neighbors, other drivers, political figures, racial groups, states and countries, also occurs).
According to the theories of Sigmund Freud, psychological projection is a psychological defense mechanism whereby one “projects” one’s own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, feelings, and so on onto someone else (usually another person, but psychological projection onto animals and inanimate objects also occurs). The principle of projection is well-established in psychology.
An illustration would be those who feel dislike for another person, but whose unconscious mind does not allow them to become aware of this negative emotion. Instead of admitting to themselves that they feel dislike for someone, they project their dislike onto him, so that the individual’s conscious thought is not “I don’t like Bob,” but “Bob doesn’t seem to like me or I do not like that certain behavior that Bob does.”
Business: In business, psychological projection occurs when a person is operating in a social setting and unconsciously overlays some internal phenomenon on an external situation or person. The person then reacts to the internal overlay instead of to the external reality. To an outsider or to one on whom the projection has been overlayed, the person’s actions and responses seem inappropriate to the real situation.
Human Discourse: We project our opinions of a person’s or group’s motives, beliefs, ideals and legitimacy onto them, whether or not it accurately represents the facts. This leads to stereotyping, prejudice and other unfair assessments. Ultimately, it provides the root causes of civil strife, violence and war.
Psychological projection in matters of faith.
In the operation of belief systems, people tend to project their feelings, biases, hopes and opinions onto the circumstances surrounding them. These projections may be very deeply held ideas that they were taught from childhood. They may be simple coping mechanisms they have invented to deal with their reality. Many of these ideas have been handed down from previous generations as truisms. Here are some familiar ones:
In terms of heaven and the afterlife, we have widespread sentiments that are based on emotion rather than scripture:
For a believer, the Bible is our final authority about everything.
Heaven:
Much of what people project onto the ideal of heaven comes from pure imagination. Heaven has been seen as the ultimate place of indulgence, the realization of every dream, every pleasure, every delight, every longing of mankind.
1. As used in a physical sense, heaven is the expanse over the earth (Gen 1:8). The tower of Babel reached upward to heaven (Gen 11:4). God is the possessor of heaven (Gen 14:19). Heaven is the location of the stars (Gen 1:14; 26:4) as well as the source of dew (Gen 27:28).
2. Heaven is also the dwelling place of God (Gen 28:17; Rev 12:7-8). It is the source of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:2,10). Because of the work of Christ on the Cross, heaven is, in part, present with believers on earth as they obey God’s commands (John 14:2,23).
3. The word heaven is also used as a substitute for the name of God (Luke 15:18,21; John 3:27). The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are often spoken of interchangeably (Matt 4:17; Mark 1:15).
4. At the end of time a new heaven will be created to surround the new earth. This new heaven will be the place of God’s perfect presence (Isa 65:17; 66:22; Rev 21:1). Then there will be a literal fulfillment of heaven on earth.
Where are those who died in Christ? Are they up and walking around? Are they meeting with people? Do they know what is happening on earth?
Who will go to heaven?
Who will not go to heaven?
Hell
We project unfounded ideas onto the place the Bible calls hell. We see it as less than heaven, but somewhat survivable; a place to shovel coal with our buddies, a place where the devil is boss; a place where our worst experiences recur daily; a place where we get stuck with the world’s most annoying people; the underworld inhabited by departed souls, etc. Sometimes we say that hell is not the place for the eternally dammed, but certain things that happen to us in this life, or certain realities we deal with in life (job, marriage, hometown, family, etc.).
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Judgment
Here are some popular ways we project our opinions onto eternal judgment:
But, the Bible has much to say about judgment. Actually, the bible speaks of seven different judgments:
Psalm 9:8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Loving God
We tend to project the very best of intentions onto people, especially those whom we love or admire. We sometimes take almost anything they do as proof that deep in their hearts, they really do love God. If we don’t like a person, we dismiss almost anything they do as insincere or as an attempt to manipulate God.
But, what do the scriptures say?
Other inaccurate projections:
We have no other authority than the Word of God.
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.