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I come from a world of conservative Christian thought. I've absorbed Christianity with my mother's milk. So it must be obvious that certain... archetypes, aren't they called? - stick in one's mind, and that certain lines, certain courses of events, certain ways of behaving, become adequate symbols for what goes on in the Christian system of ideas. ... I keep myself supplied with my own angels and demons...

Ingmar Bergman#38

FaithPsychologyReligionChristianitySymbolismUpbringing

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author describes how deep Christian upbringing creates lasting mental archetypes and symbolic behaviors.
In plain terms
Childhood faith creates strong symbols in the mind.
What can you take from it?
Early religious training shapes how we interpret reality.

Where it applies

  • interpreting personal values
  • understanding cultural background
  • analyzing symbolism

Putting it to work

  • analyzing personal biases
  • understanding character motives

Questions to consider

  • How does your background shape your symbols?
  • Do you see angels and demons in daily life?

Another view

Personal spiritual experiences vary widely and are not universal.

More from Ingmar Bergman

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  2. People think there's a solution... If everything is distributed in the proper quarters, put into the right pigeonholes, everything will be fine. But I'm not so…

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  3. We drove about, looking for churches, my father and I. My father, as you probably know, was a clergyman - he knew all the Uppland churches like the back of his…

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