critiques and post modern Flashcards
what is Marx’s critique
sociological critique
why is religion bad for Marx
religion is bad from society’s point of view
why is religion bad for society for Marx (3)
religion exists to oppress people e.g. sinners
religion is an opiate, it keeps the working class under control;
allows hierarchy to pass through the monarchy, divine right of kings, no access to power for others
what is Marx’s critique of religion to do with alienation (3)
alienation is more extreme under capitalism, workers don’t own what they produce
no freedom to influence company, workers are stuck doing repetitive actions and opiate exists to stop workers speaking out
similar to religion, offers not solution to those in poverty
what is Marx’s critique of religion to do with religion as a distraction (4)
- focuses on promise of after life, not here and now, which is a distraction
- doesn’t focus on happiness or pain currently being felt
- created alienation derived from suffering
- doesn’t solve suffering, just offers support
what is Marx’s critique of religion to do with abolishment of religion (3)
society would be more equal, communism
everyone owns everything equally
religion would play no part and would not need to be an opiate for the people
quote about religion from Marx
religion is the sign of the oppressed creature,
the heart of the heartless world
and the soul of soulless conditions
it is the opium of the people
what are two strengths of Marx
liberal
caters to all the classes
focuses on the now and equality
what are two weaknesses of Marx
religion is not necessarily an instrument of oppression, e.g. liberation theology
early church aimed to help the poor
what is Freud’s critique
psychological critique
what is religious belief for freud
psychological construct
religion is an illusion based on wish fulfilment and a reaction against helplessness
what does the human mind do in terms of religion for freud
human mind creates religious beliefs and images to satisfy longings and desires
what does the mind contain in terms of religion for freud
mind contains unconscious parts we can’t normally access, but could
e.g. later surface as a neurotic illness
what is religion a symptom of for freud
religion is a neurotic symptom being channelled out
‘universal obsessional neurosis’
what is religion like for freud and how
like obsessive rituals
people with neurosis may feel guilty if not performing them
religious people perform rituals and feel guilty if not
father idea from freud (4)
repressed trauma is invariably sexual in nature
religion needs derive from longing for a father - Oedipus complex
the mind keeps in the unconscious and represses children’s desires to have sexual relations with parent of opposite sex
and hatred towards parent of same sex with sexual access
helpless idea from freud
children feel helpless in the face of danger
mankind crave protection from dangers within themselves and external world
e.g. justice in an unjust society, life after death
quote about religion from freud
a bottom god is nothing more than an exhausted father
strength of freud
initial ideas were revolutionary, parts make sense
4 weaknesses of freud
manipulated evidence
oedipus/Electra complex excludes homosexuality etc, heteronormative
oedipus complex theory has been discredited
no evidence against God
what is Dawkins’ critique
Atheism
what is Dawkins’ stance on religion
strong militant atheist
anti-religion, thinks it’s dangerous and disruptive
what is weak atheism
absence in belief of God
what is agnostic
not enough evidence to prove existence
what is confusing for Dawkins
the word ‘God’ is confusing, means different things for different people
argument about danger from Dawkins
religion leads to violence
believers feel threatened by criticisms, leads to violence and irrational actions
why does Dawkins criticise agnosticism
clear evidence for God not existing
religion is the enemy of science
if science were to explain away miracles, religion wouldn’t exist
why does Dawkins criticise arguments for the existence of God
proving God’s existence is no more than a word game
evolution cancels out the idea of intelligent design
quote about religion from Dawkins
when one suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity
when many people suffer from a delusion, it is called a religion
what is a strength of Dawkins
favours actual evidence, violence e.g. crusades
what is a weakness of Dawkins
scientific fundamentalism, thinks science can just replace religion
doesn’t always cause violence
e.g. pacifism of Quakers
what do post modern thinkers reject
post modern thinkers reject any assumption that an objective scientific understanding of reality is possible
what is reality for post modern thinkers
a reflection of human understanding
human mind creates personal reality
reality is an interpretation
problem of valid reality for PM thinkers
any explanation of reality that is valid for all groups/times/cultures is therefore not valid
truth is relative to each person or to particular groups
what’s suspicious for post modern thinkers
any claim to absolute truth is suspicious
atheism is just as untenable as theism
unsupportive of religion
what is a weakness of untenable religious views for all
doesn’t allow for many views
even science uses faith
some scientific theories have been doubted a lot
not absolute truth?
what is religion for post modern thinkers 5
religion is a cultural phenomena we create in our own mind doesn't exist as a truth 'metanarrative' - Lyotard this somewhat allows for religion argue for pluralism
what are post modern thinkers suspicious of, overview (3) + s & 2w
suspicious of religious institutions rather than personal beliefs and practice
belief is personal presence not based on objective standards or moral absolutes
no right to wrong, religions are just cultural constructs
s respectful of multitude of views
w dilutes religion
doesn’t give religious views any integrity - undermines authority
strength of defence of religious belief
religious belief is part of the human psyche to look for explanations
a shared natural idea to wonder why the universe was caused/created
weakness of defence of religious belief
doesn’t prove accuracies
furthers idea of wish fulfilment - Freud
what does Keith Ward think about religious belief
religious belief is not harmful
what is good about religion - Keith Ward (3)
played a part in the abolishment of slavery
gives the poor opportunities and rights
sets standards for moral behaviour
criticism against what Keith Ward says is good about religion
other things set moral standards
e.g. law, secular ethical theories
Christianity also justifies. slavery and has contributed to violence (crusades)
what does Keith Ward think about belief
belief in God is a natural belief
e.g. wandering about consequences of actions
criticism of what Keith Ward think about belief
could say it’s just a blik
consequences could be a secular thing
e.g. not wanting to go to jail
what does religious belief provide people with
+ weakness
religious belief provides people with answers
could be inaccurate answers, misinterpretation and not verifiable
comparison of religious and scientific statements
they’re different in kind overlap because both look at how the universe operates but they’re distinct
what is the difference. between s scientific and religious statements
different because they are dependant on faith, not evidence and findings
