the challenges of psychology to religious belief

The Challenges of Psychology to Religious Belief

Is it all in the mind?

Introduction

Most arguments for God’s existence assume that God is an objective reality

Psychologist argue that God is nothing more than a construct of the mind

Similarly Sociologists argue that God is a construct of society

Freud

Believed religion to be an illusion Based on wish fulfilment

Believed that given particular circumstances

The human mind creates beliefs and images to satisfy our most basic longings and desires brought on by:

a. Inner psychological conflictb. Stress stemming from the structure of

societyc. Fear of the dangers of the natural world

Inner psychological conflict

Freud claimed Religion is a form of neurotic illness It stems from the unconscious mind It results from incompletely repressed

traumatic memories The trauma is usually sexual in nature Therefore religion is an illusion

resulting from sexual difficulties


Freud worked with patients suffering from hysteria

Used hypnosis and studied dreams Saw similarities between obsession of the

hysterical and obsession of the religious Concluded that religion must be a form of

neurotic behaviour caused by trauma Invariably sexual in nature


Libido = body’s most basic urge Therefore this is most probable cause of

psychological problems Oedipus (pro. edipus) complex

The desire to possess the mother and the ambivalence towards the father

Suckling child has sole attention of mother

As libido is transferred to sexual organ there is a rival in form of father


For Freud to be right Oedipus Complex must be a universal sexual trauma Buried trauma must be able to reappear in form of religion

Oedipus Complex Used work of C Darwin to show social unit as primal horde Hordes = groups of people with a dominant male who has

total authority and claim on all females There is ambivalence towards this male – hatred and

veneration Hordes resent the dominant male and eventually kill him Therefore Oedipus Complex affected all society historically


Oedipus complex ultimately resulted in guilt

Freud believed we transferred that guilt into objects

First stage through animism We create idols or totems – that is investing

stones trees ort animals with spirits Our guilt is transfer to that object Through prayer and sacrifice the idol is able to

make amends Whilst the totem is venerated, once a year the

animal is killed showing the continual ambivalence


Second stage through religion Totem becomes unsatisfactory as veneration

grows Father figure becomes divine In Christianity we see:

Worship of God the father Ceremonial killing and eating through

communion (Note: Catholics believe that the bread actually

becomes the body of Christ and the wine actually becomes the blood of Christ, non-Catholics tend to see the bread and wine as symbols)

Stress stemming from the structure of society

Nature of society conflicts with our basic desires

Society depends on a group having the power to govern Such government will often conflict with our

own desires Religion gives reason to submit to those

in authority making society bearable Explains our suffering in terms of need to obey

an omnipotent God

Fear of the dangers of the natural world

We are confronted with many natural forces including death

We have no power over them We live in panic and sense of helplessness Religion provides a way of control

Everything that happens is under control of a superior being that works for our ultimate good

There is a father figure that protects

Freud’s conclusions

Freud accepts there is no prove against existence of God

But he shows that beliefs formed by basic psychological needs are false (for the neurotics at least)

He rejects all things religious He accepts that religion has brought

benefits but also believes it brings problems

Freud would replace religion with scietific understanding

Critique of Freud Michael Palmer – “almost all evidence that

Freud presents has been discredited” Theory of Horde based on Darwin’s speculation

which is no longer accepted Bronislaw Malinowski – showed that Oedipus

Complex is not universal In Trobriand society male is a weak nurse In animal world role of father and mother is one

of support – no opposition Argue that complex is brought about by strict

rules of religion rather than being the cause of them

Frued use narrow selection of evidence Referred to religions based on male deities Some religions are based on female deities

Jung’s Theory of Religion

At first worked closely with Freud Eventually dismissed Freud’s view that

religion is a neurotic illness Jung concluded

Religion is natural stemming from archetype in unconscious mind

It harmonises the psyche It is a beneficial phenomenon Removal of religion would lead to psychological

problems


Two features of Jung’s work are essential to understanding his ideas

His concept of neuroses and the libido

His concept of the mind


His concept of neuroses and the libido Worked with schizophrenics Saw no sexual component in their neuroses Did not see sucking of baby as a sexual act Did not see religion as connected to a sexual

trauma Saw libido as far more complicated than sexual

drive


His concept of the mind Noted similarity of people’s dreams Often ideas related to light Concluded that we each have

A personal unconscious and a collective unconscious

Oldest part of mind Contains range of ideas and images We are born with tendency to conceive

primordial images God is a shared primordial image


Archetypes Not ‘a question of inherited ideas, but

a functional disposition to produce the same, or very similar, ideas.’ (Jung, Symbols of Transformation, 1977)

Two archetypes are: Persona

A front to cover our true nature from society Shadow

The darker side of our character


God is an archetype We are born with tendency to generate

religious images Actual images come from experience Disposition to generate them is innate

Religious belief is still valid Religious experience is valid

Still comes from an invisible source Is still ineffable


Does God exist? ‘Nothing positive or negative has thus been

asserted about the possible existence of any God.’

C. G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, 1944 God and religion does exist as a psychic reality

To those who experience the effects, God is real

Jung believes religion maintains the balance of the mind and so prevents neuroses through individuation


Individuation Libido = a flow of psychic energy All features of personality need to be in

balance to maintain health Therefore has to be a balance between

conscious and the unconscious Mental disorder is a failure to maintain this

balance First part of live is coming to terms with outer

environment Second part is coming to terms with one’s

own personality


Individuation and Religion Individuation is governed by the self

archetype Any process governed by archetype can be

termed religious Therefore individuation is a religious process

Individuation generates images of wholeness One such image is God Therefore image of God archetype is the same

as the self archetype It follows that religion is necessary to retain

balance and health

Critique of Jung

Critique centres on Methodology The theory of archetypes The concept of religious experience The role of religion within individuation

Critique of Jung

Methodology Jung argues that we cannot know if a religious

experience is real or a creation of the mind Scientists however look for empirical evidence

The theory of archetypes Archetypes not needed Geza Roheim argues that we all share similar

experiences which will produce the similar ideas

Some religions seem to respond to society rather than the other way round

Some people do not believe in God – Jung argues that atheism is a form of religion

Critique of Jung

The concept of religious experience Martin Buber does not accept that an experience

stemming from the mind alone can be termed religious

Jung argued that any archetypal image can be termed religious

But this would mean that evil, satanic images are as religious as a vision of God

The role of religion within individuation If individuation is governed by the self-archetype it

can have nothing to do with God For Jung image of Christ is a symbol of wholeness

But Christians claim Christ is more than a symbol, he is the Son of God

Putting it altogether

Write bullet points that show how you would go about answering the following exam question:

a) Give an account of psychological explanations of religious belief (33)

b) ‘It is wrong to think of God as an invention of the human mind.’ Discuss (17)

the challenges of psychology to religious belief

Documents

traumainvariably sexual

sexual organ

dominant male

worship of god

form of neurotic behaviour

rightoedipus complex

male hatred

basic urgetherefore