ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that a double hermeneutics can be seen in the relationship between the self and "God". Any hermeneutics of the self must underscore this interplay, and cannot focus solely on one of the sides of the relationship between the self and religious imagery. A religious hermeneutics of the self must necessarily consider the temporal and developmental processes in which the self is involved and takes part. A basic conclusion for any religious hermeneutics of the self is therefore that such a hermeneutics must strengthen the self's capacities for engaging with the world. "God" within the hermeneutic framework suggested may accordingly be subjected to critique from two different but interrelated angles: from the internal point of view of a religious tradition, from which the interpretation of "God" within the framework of the self may be assessed according to how the religious tradition desires this symbol to work.
