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Summary The Challenge of Secularism Revision
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- OCR
Revision on The Challenge of Secularism Topic OCR Religious Studies
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Secularism Essay RevisionChristianity VS Secularism
Freud : For Secularism
Freud argued that religion is just the product of wish fulfilment; he explained this by writing
that humans invent the belief that there is an ultimate purpose to life and a moral reason
for being and a moral code to follow, because it makes life more tolerable. Freud also
argues that religion was ‘mass delusion’ and that it was used to help humans overcome
their fear of death and suffering.
Freud believed that people crave structure and ritual worship in religion provides a sense of
security. Freud described religion as ‘Universal obsessional neurosis’ Overall Freud believed
Religion should be abolished and that people could find contentment in living authentically.
Challenge to Freud:
Jo Marchant offers a more positive insight into religion arguing that it can benefit a person
psychologically and medically, for example people who pray in times of need. Religion can
provide spiritual fulfilment and give meaning to life and is not the controlling force fuelled
by guilt that Freud believed it was.
Keith Ward argues Freud is a reductionist and does not give credit to religious experiences
Religion can give rise to great creativity and intellectual thought, therefore religion is not
infantile.
Dawkins: For Secularism
Religion is a form of indoctrination and Abuse
Actual Abuse- Magdalene Laundries
Dawkins argues that giving a child a religious upbringing is abusive as they are being
indoctrinated and forced to believe that their beliefs are correct. They have no choice in
this! He is supported by Nicholas Humphrey, who stated that ‘children.. have the right not
to have their minds crippled by exposure to other people’s bad ideas... children have the
right to not have their minds addled by nonsense’.
Religion is repressive. he argues that religion represses women (in all the ways we have
studied in the Gender and Society unit) although he uses the example of the burkha in more
detail. He argues that it represses women with regard to submission and control, lack of
evidence for God, causes conflict.
Jonathan sacks good religion bad relihgion thing
Challenges of Dawkins:
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