Psychological Explanations

Psychological Explanations

1. Ludwig Feuerbach

   • Argued that the idea of God is a human projection
     • All attributes of God in our nature; human aspirations or desires
       • We create God in our image
         • 'God is man written in large letters'

2. Sigmund Freud

   • Believed that human religious behaviour was a neurosis caused by childhood insecurities
     • Desire for a father-figure to protect us
   • Religious experiences are hallucinations that have a simple psychological explanation
     • Just as dreams are caused by deep desires we are unaware of;
       • Religious experiences are also the product of our subconscious and are caused by the desire for security and meaning

3. Counter Argument

   • Not all psychologists reject religious experiences
   • Car Gustav Jung
     • Accepted the reality of numinous experiences
       • Argued the development of the spiritual aspect of us was essential to psychological wholeness
       • Claimed that each of us has the archetype (idea) of God within a shared collective unconscious
   • William James
     • Accepted that religious experience had a psychological dimension
     • Did not agree that this meant religious experiences were just psychological events