Religious Crituqe Flashcards
Background
Non religious critques come from atheists.
Atheist = greek = a = not - theos = God so therefore meaning without God or a lack of belief.
2 types of atheism
strong = strong opinion theres no God
Weak = no belief due to lack/absence
Alternate to Atheist
agnostic = a unsure belief for Gods existence
Reasons for a lack of belief
The problem of evil, lack of evidence, a self contradicting God and the moral argument
A movement within the 20th century saw doctrines gain the momentum to positively assert non existence of God
Emile Durkheim
1858 - 1917
French Sociologist
‘Elementary forms of religious life’
Durkheim argument
Argues that religion serves to unity and preserve the community, it acts as a means of social cohesion within society.
There is no separate entity called God, God is simply a social construct that humanity created.
Religion is something which provides a framework for the values and ideas held by God.
As an alternate to God, Durkheim stated society would be better understanding through a moral way.
Karl Marx
German Sociologist
1818 - 1883
Marx Argument
God is an invention of the human mind.
A way of satisfying the human emotional needs.
Marx saw religion as dis empowering, authority based and oppressing.
The upper class used religion as a way of mass control through the false promises of release such as heaven.
Marx stated freedom could only be achieved through loving each other.
Sigmund Freud
1856 - 1939
Austrian Psychologist
Freud Argument
Freud saw religion as an illusion of the mind.
Similar to Durkheim he saw religion with origins to the primitive tribes.
God has no reality and is simply a creation from wishful thinking.
The Oedipus Complex
God is a father substitute.
Son is jealous of father and mother therefore overthrows father this leads to a feeling of guilt.
Therefore religion represses this guilty.
Freud says that while humanity depend on this illusion they will never be truly happy.
Dawkins point
2 arguments
1: Dawkins would state that religion is unneccessary in a Darwinian world.Science provides all truth
2. Beliefs are faith claims rather than evidence, faith is dangerously outdated there is no need to look.
Richard Dawkins
1941 - current
anti theist
british evolutionary biologist
Ockhams Razor
William of Ockham
To understand something all unnecessary must be stripped back. To gain truth.
Stephen Hawkins supports this saying God cannot be observed so is unnecessary.
Richard Swinburne
It is neccessary to seek God.
Everything needs an explanation and those without one must point towards one ultimate - this is God
Coppleston
The world is ambiguous an ultimate explanation is possible and interesting and therefore completely reasonable.
Critic to marx
religion is no longer neccessary in a capitalist society yet still exists, plus more open to interpretation.
Critic to Durkheim
the primary loyalty is God not the community
Freud
his atheism blinds his views - Hans Kung
Problem of Evil
How can such evil happen if theres a God?
Moral argument
Moral issues such as not saving people in Auschwitz but saving one single elderly in Lordes?
Dawkins Quote
A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things… beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called the church.
Marx Quote
Religion is the opium of the people
Marx second quote
The first requisite for the happiness of the poeple is the abolition of religion
Freud Quote
for the individual life is hard to bear just as it is for mankind in general
Freud second quote
make his helpless tolerable
Dawkins Quote
i want people to stop believing
the talk of darwinism is to eliminate chance
Ockhams Razor Quote
entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily
Swinburne quote
human quest for an explanation inevitably and rightly seeks for the ultimate explanation of everything observable
Hawkins quote
it seems better to employ the principle known as Ockhams Razor and cut out all the features of the theory which cannot be observed
