Atheists, how many of you use Freudian arguments against Christians?

Question

These include religion as wish fulfillment, projection theory of God, etc. What else do you use psychoanalytic theories to explain?

Answer 1

Psychoanalysis is a science that is able to tell us something about our motivations and compulsions. As such it is useful as a tool to remedy pyschological problems.

Revealed religion on the other hand provides an ethical guideline without providing real insight into the way our minds work. It tells us the rules, but almost nothing about the forces that underly our actions.

For example a person with excessive anger can find behavioural guidelines on how to comport himself in the bible or the koran - but will not find possible explanations of why he feels excessive anger.

How do psychoanalytical arguments work against christians?

Christians believe in an illusion - that there exists a magical invisible God - despite no tangible evidence of its existence other than the faith of fellow adherents, some of whom wrote the bible.

Pyschoanalysis of a christian might therefore reveal a host of fears revealing the motive for his superstitious belief in a god - as you noted, wish fulfillment and so forth.

But ultimately you dont need psychoanalysis to explain someones mystical or superstitious beliefs. This is irrespective of the type of beliefs, variously God, Jesus, Mohamed, ghosts, flying saucers, the continued existence of Elvis, santa claus and that the moon is made of jam.

For these people, to believe in an illusion is better than facing painful disillusion. They are more afraid of the painful truth than telling themselves a comforting lie.

Answer 2

I'm not too familiar with Freud or psychoanalytics (and not convinced by what I do know of them), so I don't use those arguments. I prefer to keep it simple.

Answer 3

The story of Noah is enough evidence for me to believe that Christians are either stupid or mad

Answer 4

Ew, Freud is ridiculous and icky, and I don't push my beliefs on anyone.

Instead I stay at home with my Jung and work on myself.

Answer 5

...simple logic does it...I agree. Christians usually don't comprehend Freudian becuase they use circular reasoning.

Answer 6

we do even with the indisputable fact that that's like hitting your head up antagonistic to a brickwall thay imagine there fairy tale is authentic actuality and the is a god the brainwashing is to good it starts in the colleges and in the united states the fairy tale god is runing the country

Answer 7

Freud was a fraud, and we don't need him to beat Christianity.

Simple logic does it just as easily.