Psychological Explanations

Ludwig Feuerbach
1. Argued that the idea of God is a human projection
  1. All attributes of God in our nature; human aspirations or desires
    1. We create God in our image
      1. 'God is man written in large letters'
Sigmund Freud
1. Believed that human religious behaviour was a neurosis caused by childhood insecurities
  1. Desire for a father-figure to protect us
2. Religious experiences are hallucinations that have a simple psychological explanation
  1. Just as dreams are caused by deep desires we are unaware of;
    1. Religious experiences are also the product of our subconscious and are caused by the desire for security and meaning
Counter Argument
1. Not all psychologists reject religious experiences
2. Car Gustav Jung
  1. Accepted the reality of numinous experiences
    1. Argued the development of the spiritual aspect of us was essential to psychological wholeness
    2. Claimed that each of us has the archetype (idea) of God within a shared collective unconscious
3. William James
  1. Accepted that religious experience had a psychological dimension
  2. Did not agree that this meant religious experiences were just psychological events

Resource summary

	Created by joe_lamy over 11 years ago