I am completely fascinated with Freud's thoughts on religion. I think it makes so much sense that religion fulfills people's desire for a paternal/maternal figure as protector. Seriously, this idea sounds so commonsense, so practical, that it is a wonder this idea is not more widely accepted.
On pp. 48 and 49, Freud talks about how religious figures (i.e. Francis of Assis) protect themselves from disappointment and hurt by loving mankind in general rather than a specific person(s). Furthermore, they transform the sexual drive into an impulsive with an inhibited aim. What results is a general affectionate feeling towards people, or as St. Francisco experienced it, an inner feeling of happiness. Thus, this is a somewhat primitive way of dealing with our innate drives, as the individual sets it up so that they never actually have to be confronted with disappointment, and are, in a sense, avoiding.
Freud refers to substance use as a "useless waste of a large quota of energy which might have been employed for the improvement of the human lot" (p.25). Would Freud say the same about religion?
Random note:
p. 49 - "...not all men are worthy of love." Is Freud really saying what I think he is saying?
I read that sentence as "you won't love every person", and there must be something in the men that you love that is worthy of love. I'm not sure whether I get it or not.
ReplyDeleteI too find his thoughts on religion fascinating, I think because I'm going through my own personal struggles on what I really believe in right now. I come from an extremely religious family and went to church every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday night until I ran away and got married hahah. But really, while I went "religiously," it was only in an effort to gain privleges (I just cannot figure out how to spell that word....) or to socialize with friends and cute boys. I always had my concerns with the doctrine and I didn't like the control the church - and my family - placed on me. So now I don't go. But I still think that I have a relationship with the image of the God that I have formed over the years. And it's interesting because my own father I think does fill that role of the protector, even though he isn't here to protect me anymore. He instilled in me those skills, so to speak. So my question really is when Freud is talking about religion and the paternal figure, is it possible to have that from two places? Like maybe you can be almost fulfilled by the relationship with your father here, but that you may need just an extra boost from some external one? I guess I just feel like when I think about how we've talked about it it's all or nothing. But that can't be right.
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