Chapter 48

Question 1

What is Comte saying about religion in modern times?

Answer 1

Since we now have science, we have out grown religion

Question 2

What is an insight from Comte that theists need to notice?

Answer 2

Theists should see the scientific ties with the religion and not totally rely on religion

Question 3

Theists

Answer 3

Believe in (a) god(s)

Question 4

Atheist

Answer 4

Believe in no god

Question 5

What is Freud’s Theory about where a belief in a fatherly god come from?

Answer 5

With facing anxiety, the ID fantasizes a loving, fatherly God who provides security, etc. of what we want.
Seems like a good idea until we have to face real problems

Question 6

Freud’s 3 functions of the human mind:

Answer 6

1. Ego- the reasoning part.
2. Super-Ego- the ideas/principles for guiding reason
3. id- the priminitive desiring part, “wants what it wants”; will fantasize a substitute if it can’t get what it wants.

Question 7

What might theists respond to Freud?

Answer 7

• Maybe say something about individualism
• that Freud is thought to say that the human mind cannot evolve or achieve higher potential
• theists might see that man may view God as a perfect, all-knowing version of himself

Question 8

What might theists take from Freud?

Answer 8

• sense of individualism
• the properties of God being all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful
• humans are tapping into knowledge of the world
• species is becoming more and more powerful, yet under God still.

Question 9

What are the 4 guidelines which Dei Verbum offers did interpreting scripture passages?

Answer 9

1. Those who search out the intention of the sacred writers must have regard for “literary forms”
2. The situation of his own time and culture
3. Due attention must be paid to the customary & characteristic styles of perceiving, speaking, and narrating which prevailed at the time of sacred writing
4. To the customs men normally followed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another.

Question 10

Important books and authors:

Answer 10

Auguste Comte- “The positive philosophy” 1842
Ludwig Feurbach- humans have created God “God is for our goals for humanity”
Karl Marx- religion is an illusion
Sigmund Freud- 3 parts of human mind
1700’s- German scholars concluded that multiple authors wrote Gospels
Hugo Reimarces- attacked belief in Exodus-1700’s
Karl Lachmann- 1700s- figured out mark is the oldest gospel
D.F. Strauss- 1835- “life of Jesus”

Question 11

According to Comte, what are the 3 stages of history?

Answer 11

1. Theological/Ficticious: humans made up stories of gods to explain what they didn’t understand.
2. Metaphysical/Philisophical: the ideas of the “Prime mover” (Aristotle, Plato, etc)
3. Positive/Scientific: today, we have precise observation of specific phenomena & we look for patterns