Armstrong sees religion as ''matter of doing" rather than a matter of allegiance to unchanging beliefs. R.eread her chapter and carefully note the many diflen:nt fom1s of "doing" she explores, f rom...

Armstrong sees religion as ''matter of doing" rather than a matter of allegiance to unchanging beliefs. R.eread her chapter and carefully note the many diflen:nt fom1s of "doing" she explores, f rom ritual sacrifice to yoga. In what sense m.ight we understand premodern religion as J fom1 of psychotherapy of the kind practiced today by Martha Stout, author of "Wl1e11 I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, lt Was Friday"? Were religious practices possibly designed co overcome dissociated states and the pathologies that they cause? Or does religion actually encourage dissociation? If the answer to this last question is yes, what nught be the purpose of tum.ing away from the here and now, at least temporarily?