Is God a psychological crutch

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Pamho, agtSP!

 

I just translated a text I wrote some years back - into English. I would

very much like if an English speaking person could look at it and correct

spelling errors and grammatical errors.

 

I also warmly invite suggestions etc. to improve the contents of the text.

 

Here it is:

 

Is God a psychological crutch?

 

Atheists often claim that theists believe in God because of psychological

reasons. For example, Sigmund Freud, founder of the psychoanalytical school

of psychology, claimed that the belief in God in an illusion, a form of

wishfull thinking caused by human weakness. According to him God is nothing

more than a psychological crutch. He claimed to be able to trace back the

illusory concept of God to a often subconcious, childish desire to be

protected. In this scenario God is supposed to be a substitute for the

perfect father that the weak religious person never really had. In addition

the religious person uses God to explain things he otherwise can't explain:

”It's so fantastic, just look at the amazing work of God! The ways of God

are truly mysterious!” Or God is used as a crutch when the religious person

can't deal with lifes tough realities. He listens to prayers and take away

the bad concience when the religious person has commited what he imagines to

be sinful. And sometimes God is even used as an excuse or explanation for

evil deeds that we can't understand: ”It's the will of God!”

 

According to many critics of religion it is only the mature and rational

human beings, that has climbed further on the evolutionary ladder, who is

above the illusory fatamorgana of religion. According to them we therefore

need to guide the psychological energy that's directed towards the illusory

God and heaven back to the real, material world.

 

Is atheism a psychological crutch?

 

First of all, the atheists should consider that this psychological argument

against the existence of God is like a double-egded sword, because theist

just as well can argue that atheism is caused by psychological problems in

those who can't bear the thought that God exist. Let us examine some of the

psychological mechanism that can cause the atheists to try to

psychologically repress the existence of God:

 

1. If God doesn't exist, then everything is permitted. There's no absolute

moral standard. Morality is created on the basis of the individuals likings.

Therefore the atheist is able to justify all kinds of abominable actions

with claims such as: ”Well, it might be that someone else thinks my actions

are morally wrong, but that is just THEIR subjective opinion. Therefore I'm

justified in doing whatever I like!” So atheism gives humans the possibility

to ignore the dictate of the concience og live in total self-indulgence. So

it is quite likely that atheism is indeed a psychological invention aimed at

eliminating all moral obligations. God becomes a threat against the atheists

egocentric nature, and consequently the atheist wishes to deny His

existence. The idea that one day we have to settle our ethical account with

an all-knowing, all-mighty God can no doubt be such an intens psychological

stress factor for the atheist that he preferes to try to psychologically

repress the existence of God.

 

2. If God doesn't exist and if materialism is true, then there exist nothing

which, in princible, can't be subjected to human control. When the atheist

dreams of such a materialistic universe then he's dreaming of a universe

where everything that exist in princible, either now or in the future, can

or will be under human control. So another motivating factor to be an

atheist is the possibility og gaining control over the world. In other

words, the atheist is motivated by lust for power.

 

3. If the human being is only a combination of chemicals then no human can

be said to be more of an authority than anyone else. Everyone is on an equal

level. In an atheistic worldview the atheist can therefore easily tell

himself that no one is in a position to tell him what is good for him, and

how he should do and think. The existence of God is naturally a big threat

to the atheists psychological aversion towards authorities, and consequently

the atheist will do everything within his power to fabricate a worldview

that eliminates Gods existence.

 

So atheism paves the way for a worldview that allows the atheists to

conclude the following:

 

A. I don't have to be accountable for my actions if I don't get caught.

 

B. Nothing is really morally good or bad, so I should be allowed to do what

I feel like.

 

C. There exists no thing that, at least in principle, can't be subjected to

my

control or to the control of those I'm sympathetic towards.

 

D. No one is in a position to be my authority, no one can claim to be in a

higher or more important position than me.

 

In this way the atheist creates a universe in which he's his own god. This

is obviously a very tempting fantasy. But if the above psychological reasons

for being an atheist are true, then it becomes quite easy to see how

deep-rooted psychological and emotional problems atheists have.

 

The Need for God - a proof for God's existence?

 

The critics of religion have no methods to show that God can be reduced to a

psychological phonomenon, and that this phenomenon is brought about by human

weakness. That assertion is nothing but an unsubstantiated speculation. It

even runs contrary to our experience, because if we study the human species

there's no doubt that it as a whole is endowed with a strong urge towards

the divine. When we observe the human need for water, just to give an

example, then it would be rediculious to argue that we imagine the existence

of water because we are thirsty. It would also be rediculious to argue that

we imagine the existence food because we're hungry, or that we imagine the

existence of our family and friends because we feel a need for social

relations. That would be really poor explanations. All our physiological or

social needs have been placed in us in order to make us aware that there

exists real things in the real world that can satify these needs. So if we

feel a need for God then why not see it as a signal that has been placed in

us in order to make us aware that there exist a real thing in the real

world, God, that we can find?

 

Science gives evidence to the effect that religious people are more

psychologically strong than non-religious people.

 

Quite a few social-scientific studies shows that religious people are more

more psychologically strong than non-religious people. Some studies provides

evidence to the effect that religion brings many social advantages. All this

clearly shows that the atheistic claim that religious people are always

weak-minded is neither supported by logic nor by empirical facts. On the

contrary, most religious people are psychologically strong, and atheism

can't macth religion in this field.