Atheistic Critiques of Religious Belief Flashcards
Define atheism
Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.
Define anti-theism
Antitheism is active opposition to theism. The term has had a range of applications; in secular contexts, it typically refers to direct opposition to organised religion or to the belief in any deity, while in a theistic context, it sometimes refers to opposition to a specific god or gods.
Who coined the term Agnosticism
Thomas Huxley
Define agnosticism
A religious orientation of doubt; a denial of ultimate knowledge of the existence of God; “agnosticism holds that you can neither prove nor disprove God’s existence”
What does Feuerbach say about religion
- Religion is a delusion
- God is a projection
What book does Sigmund Freud present his criticism
The Future of An Illussion
What is religion according to Freud
- obsessionality
- illusion
- Universal neurosis
What are Freud’s Three Main criticisms of religion
1) Overcome inner neurosis
2) Manner of coping (man is dependent to ‘make his helplessness tolerable’)
3) Result of psychological impulses
What is Peter Moore’s criticism of Freud
Freud’s need to explain everything through sex, tells us more about his obsessional neurosis than ours
What is Kate Loventhanl’s criticism of Freud
PROJECTIVE religion is immature whilst INTRINSIC religion is serious and reflective
According to Carl Jung what is God
an ARCHETYPE (hero figure)
Where does God exist according to Jung
- within the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS (events we ALL share)
- Brings society together, yet doesn’t exist outside of the mind
What are some criticisms for Jung
- Some people are persecuted for their faith (they don’t appear to fit within the collective unconscious)
What is TOTEMISM
- Simplest form of religion according to DURKHEIM
- Heart of religion is a set of attitudes, acts as central to society (sacred centre not what is NOT)
What does MALINWOSKI and VILFREDO PARETO) class religion as
- A pseudo- science- pretends to be a science
- Primitive, relate to anxiety in the face of situations where nothing can be done (also creates anxiety)
What is NATURISM
Natural events (lightning, earthquake etc) make a striking impact on people- create an impulse for religion (MAX MULLER)
What is ANIMISM
Original belief in some type of spirit (EDWARD TYLOR)
Who wrote ‘The God Delusions’
Richard Dawkins
Outline 5 of Dawkins KEY views
- Religion is protected by an abnormally thick wall of undeserved respect.
- Religious Belief is NOT necessary (only a social MEME, the Darwinian world makes God unnecessary)
- Can’t be disproven (NOR can the FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER)
- Purpose should be an ONGOING question, not just fixed (‘There is a purpose, the propagation of DNA’)
- Religion is a VIRUS (leads to evil, God is ‘jealous, vindictive, misogynistic, homophobic, a bully etc’)
What are some criticisms of Dawkins
- Just as dogmatic as religion
- Popularist NOT academic
- Takes scripture out of context
