Atheism

Question 1

What is negative (weak) atheism ?

Answer 1

Does not make the positive claim that god doesn’t exist. Burden of proof lies with the theist. E.g “I don’t believe that god exists, but tell me why you do”

Question 2

What is positive (strong) atheism?

Answer 2

Both atheist and the theist need to give reasons to defend their faith

Question 3

What is protest theism?

Answer 3

A revolt against god on moral grounds e.g “even if god did exist, I would not be able to accept god”

Question 4

What is new atheism?

Answer 4

Religion is a threat to the survival of the human race e.g. “I don’t believe god exists and neither should you”

Question 5

What is weak agnosticism?

Answer 5

Existence of god is currently unknown but not unknowable. Suspension of a decision. E.g I don’t know whether god exists or not, but maybe you do

Question 6

What is strong atheism?

Answer 6

Impossible to know whether or not god exists. Our knowledge is limited. E.g. I don’t know whether god exists or not, and either do you

Question 7

What criticisms does Allister McGrath make towards Dawkins?

Answer 7

Dawkins fails to make the distinction between the ‘total absence of supporting evidence’ and the ‘absence of totally supporting evidence’.

Total absence of supporting evidence = no evidence that supports a view

Absence of totally supporting evidence = there’s no ABSOLUTE proof but there is evidence

Dawkins fails to show the difference between the two.

Question 8

What criticisms does John Polkinghorne have against Dawkins ?

Answer 8

Different levels of explanation need weaving together. Religion and science can compliment each other. Many scientists hold religious views and it doesn’t hold them back/stop them progressing. This is against Dawkins who says religion is stopping science from progressing

Question 9

What are some criticisms of new atheism (impedes scientific progress)

Answer 9

• “science constantly corrects itself based on new evidence, whereas religious holy texts don’t, They just dismiss it” very sweeping statement. All holy books are different, written by different people, some religious people believe more than others etc
• science and religion can disagree due to science collecting new evidence and wanting to move on, whereas religion sticks to what it says in the holy books
• religion and science dont hold each other back - there’s room for both

Question 10

What are some criticisms of new atheism (infantile world view)

Answer 10

• subjective. Not everyone believes science is brilliant etc. Some may believe science is stopping us
• hypocritical to say religion is a narrow view but then completely disregard religion
• religion too can have a bad and brilliant vision of the universe. Could argue that science is limiting by working within boundaries
• religious people can explore science too just for different reasons

Question 11

What are some criticisms of new atheism (non thinking)

Answer 11

• Dawkins is very offensive to religious people when he states that we should grow out of religion like how we grow out of Santa, tooth fairy etc
• Dawkins is generalising all religions especially Islam, Muslim etc when it comes to talking about extremism
• faith is forced upon children by adults
• religion should be considered not rejected
• Dawkins does not take into account religious philosophers who challenge and justify religion when he regards it as non thinking e.g Aquinas, Anselm and Descartes

Question 12

Freud comes up with the tripartite Mind which consists of the ID, ego and the superego. What is the super ego?

Answer 12

The part of a persons mind that acts as a self-critical conscience, reflecting social standards learned from parents and teachers. It tries to persuade the ID and the ego to turn to moral goals rather than seeking pleasure

Question 13

What is the ID?

Answer 13

Basic impulses such as sex and aggregation; seeking immediate gratification; irrational and impulsive and operates at an unconscious level

Question 14

What is the ego?

Answer 14

The ego is the decision-making part of the mind. It’s also seeks pleasure, but uses reason and logic to do so. It tries to get the unrealistic ID to cooperate in a society bound by laws and social norms

Question 15

Freud’s theory of religion is that “religion is an illusion“ In what ways could religion be seen as an illusion?

Answer 15

Seeing what we want to, being told things with no proof or empirical evidence, traditions, death and life after death

Question 16

Freud believed that religion was an illusion based on wish fulfilment and believes that religious belief is a product of the human mind. Explain this

Answer 16

He believed that in certain circumstances, the human mind to create beliefs and images to satisfy its most basic longings and desires. Religion is created by the mind to help us overcome our inner psychological conflict, the conflict between our nature and civilisation and our fear of natural forces

Question 17

Freud also believes that religion is a collective neurosis. Explain this

Answer 17

Freud work with his patients suffering from hysteria 19 to conclude that as well as conscious areas, the mind also contains unconscious parts which we cannot normally access. Through his work on hypnosis, he realised that the unconscious mind compromises of a store of information about events which we can consider long forgotten. He went on to suggest that unpleasant memories are also stored here and can surface later in the form of neurotic behaviour.
Freud believed that neurotics perform ritual actions in the same way each time e.g. obsessive hand washing. If the ritual is broken or it’s not performed correctly, the neurotic feels an overwhelming sense of guilt. In the same way, religious people perform religious ritual; if they are not performed, they feel guilty. Freud’s conclusion is that religion itself was a form of neurosis causes by trauma deep within the mind or psyche

Question 18

Explain the primal horde

Answer 18

Freud came up the idea that in primitive human society that holds. In these hordes dominant males have the first pick of the breeding males and become the natural leaders of these groups. Within the horde, the younger male members become resentful. This resentment and jealousy is coupled with the respect for the dominant male as head of the horde and eventually they plot to kill him. After his death, they begin to idolise the father figure, setting him up as a Totem. The horde experience a traumatic collective guilt which is transferred to some object or animal: the mind then reflects the feelings of guilt onto the new totem. The totem becomes a way of controlling guilt

Question 19

Freud also went on to argue that religion is a primal horde

Answer 19

Freud use the primal hordes to explain religion. Illustrate this, Freud referred to the catholic celebration of the Eucharist – the mass. In the mass, the slaughter of the God is recreated, and the representatives of the original horde eat the symbolic body. In this way, the guilt feelings are dealt with