A Critique of Recent Criticisms of Freud on Religious Belief

Thomas W Smythe

.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpp.2011.11002                

Abstract

The paper is a critique of recent criticisms of Sigmund Freud’s theory that religion is based on wishful thinking. The criticisms made by authors such as Alvin Plantinga, John Hick, William P. Alston, William Rowe, and Merol Westphal are critically examined. I defend Freud’s critique of religion as a satisfaction of our deepest desires for a heavenly father showing inductively that those desires render religious belief as unlikely to be true.

Keywords

Wish Fulfillment, Unconscious Desires, Psychoanalysis, Illusion

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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