The Challenges of Psychology to Religious Belief

1. The Challenges of Psychology to Religious Belief Is it all in the mind?

2. 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

3. 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: • Inner psychological conflict • Stress stemming from the structure of society • Fear of the dangers of the natural world

4. 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

5. Inner psychological conflict • 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

6. Inner psychological conflict • 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

7. Inner psychological conflict • 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

8. Inner psychological conflict • 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

9. Inner psychological conflict • 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)

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Jung’s Theory of Religion • Two features of Jung’s work are essential to understanding his ideas • His concept of neuroses and the libido • His concept of the mind

16. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

17. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

18. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

19. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

20. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

21. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

22. Jung’s Theory of Religion • 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

23. Critique of Jung • Critique centres on • Methodology • The theory of archetypes • The concept of religious experience • The role of religion within individuation

24. 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

25. 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

26. Putting it altogether • Write bullet points that show how you would go about answering the following exam question: • Give an account of psychological explanations of religious belief (33) • ‘It is wrong to think of God as an invention of the human mind.’ Discuss (17)