Literary Analysis Essay on Religion as a Psychological Weakness

Introduction

Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis who lived from 1856-1939. He is credited as the most influential psychologist in modern times. In his book, Religion as a Psychological Weakness, Freud expresses his thoughts about religion. Freud posits that religion is a creation of humankind from the need of a father figure. The human need for protection from nature, including quaking earth, floods water, storms, diseases, and death, exposes the helplessness and weakness of the human mind. As such, men are united in religion to preserve the human race from nature's supremacy (Freud, 52). As such, faith gives defense from the forces of nature and needs to rectify civilization's weaknesses. Freud's views help us understand the intimate connection between the belief in God and the father figure complex. Therefore, this suggests that the father figure is one of the primary causes or foundations of religion. His views have exhibited how personal God is to religious individuals.

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Moreover, the book shows how people lose their beliefs once the exalted father's authority breaks down. Hence, Sigmund Freud believed that religion is an immature manner to respond to human awareness of weakness and helplessness, by reverting to an individual's childhood experiences of paternal care (Hewit, 4). Thus belief in God is an illusion, which helps a person project their idealized father and falls within individual instinctual desires. In this light, Freud concludes that religious beliefs are illusions and insusceptible of evidence. The paper will seek to analyze Religion as a psychological Weakness by Sigmund Freud rhetorically. Further, the paper will examine how Freud successfully used ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to the reader.

Summary of the Text

Religion is hostile to culture, given the pressure it exercises and the intuitive rejections that it demands of it. Freud posits that the restrictions imposed by culture are essential for communal existent. As such, it is unwise for religion to abolish culture because what would remain in the state of our nature is challenging to endure. Freud argues that the only person who would thrive in such an abolishment is a dictator. Thus, the primary role of culture is to protect people against the force of nature (Freud 51). However, culture imposes some degree of hardship to humans, and other men occasion him some measure of privation due to the due to imperfect cultural law or in spite. Further, nature inflicts on them. Thus, due to injuries from fellow humans and culture, humans resist culture through hostility towards and religion to defend them from fate or nature (Freud 51).

Thus, humans substitute psychology for natural science, which gives then relief by relying on religion to protect them from nature by appeasing and influencing the powerful beings that control life. Freud compares this situation to a child who fears the father and protects them from danger. Hence, men's weaknesses and helplessness remains and continues seeking a father figure and the gods. The goods, therefore, must tame the forces of nature, reconcile a person with the fate of death, and make amends on the privations and suffering imposed by the communal life of the culture. The laws of culture are elevated above society and the universe. In the end, good is rewarded, and evil is punished (Freud 54). Therefore, the community creates a single deity as God, which enhances the intensity and intimacy of a child's relationship with the father.

Freud asserts that religion encompasses specific assertions about facts, dogmas, conditions of internal and external realities, which are supposed to be believed and not questioned. Thus, a society's culture is the only thing that can help people solve the riddles of the universe. Questions of the world's origin and the association between soul and body are developed with the assumptions of the system. As such, Freud views religion as an illusion; no one should be compelled to consider religious doctrines as true or belief in them as they do not admit to proof.

Ethos

Ethos is an ethical appeal to convince the reader (Higgins et al. 1). Freud persuades the reader due to his credibility as one of the most influential psychologists of his time. The author commands a lot of respect in the field; and has employed ethos to show the audience the credibility of the text. Moreover, the author has written several books about religion and is the founder of psychoanalysis.

Freud's choice of language is appropriate for the topic and audience. For instance, the texts use proper vocabularies such as culture, religion, nature, illusion, suffering, and others. In a few cases, the author has defined some concepts such as illusion to ensure that the reader understands the concept very clearly. Besides, the text sounds unbiased and uses correct syntax and grammar. Due to the origin of religion in a person's story, it is merged with the account of the father figure. And to uphold this subject have a primary interest in the strengths that represent civilization (Argyle 6). The author's central question in association with religion is that it revolves around the nature of prohibition, what drives renunciation, why does it occur original, what is the origin of the father's authority. Therefore, Freud has introduced his expertise, accomplishments, and pedigree in developing the psychoanalysis theory.

Pathos

Pathos refers to the emotional appeal of the audience, that is, appealing to the emotions to persuade readers (Higgins et al. 3). Freud claims that people are after religion to seek protection from nature and is compared to a child looking for a father figure who invokes sympathy from the audience by appealing top their emotions. As such, the text draws pity for the human who is depicted to have a father figure complex. Moreover, the notion that religion seeks to abolish culture, which makes communal existence possible and defends us from nature, inspires anger from the reader and prompts them to take action. Besides, the fact that the text claims that science has several and with significant success showed humankind that it is not an illusion persuades the reader to act urgently.

The author has used examples such as the only person who can be happy to abolish culture is a tyrant. However, even the dictator has to keep some cultural rules such as prohibiting murder (Freud 51). Furthermore, the test cites the most gifted people of the ancient world who claimed that above the gods' stands destiny and the child looking for a father figure (Freud 53). These examples are emotionally evoking, therefore, persuading the audience. The text used meaningful language and implied meanings. For instance, the claim that society comprehends the basis of the demand it makes for its religious doctrines involves meaning, which persuades the readers (Freud 55).

Logos

Logos means to persuade an audience using reason or the appeal to logic (Higgins et al. 4). To appeal to the reader's reason and convince them, the text has used literal analogies such as a child seeking protection from the father, which is two dimensional. The child fears and respects the father and, in return, receives protection. It is the same manner in which religious doctrines teach people to fear the gods, and, in return, they believe that God rewards them. However, Science has proven that nature cannot be tamed, and humankind is still psychologically weak and feel helpless. Moreover, the author alludes to how scientists have successfully refuted some religious claims. For instance, Freud claims that science has answered most questions that make humankind curious, and as such, threatens religious beliefs and threatens to overthrow it (Freud 58).

Moreover, the author shows their mastery of the field and the credibility of their arguments. Freud has organized his case in a logical manner, whereby one idea follows the next and ensure that the text is easy to understand. The document discusses religion's intent to abolish culture and sufferings caused by it and fellow humans by acting harshly towards it. However, the author believes that culture protects humans from nature. Human societies acquire religion to protect them from nature, which the author posits that nature is above all. According to Fuller, the only truth about religion is historical reality (18). As such, the authors have used advanced theoretical language, citing facts that and has used literal and historical analogies. Besides, the text argument is reasonable and believable. Therefore, the text has successfully persuaded the audience through appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the paper has analyzed Sigmund Freud's view on Religion as a Psychological Weakness, which is true (Hewit, 11). From the text, I conclude that rejection of the religion is defensible through scientific emphasis as a proven basis for psychoanalysis. As such, religion is indeed a result of psychological helplessness and weakness of the human mind. It is a creation of the mind to address the human suffering and pervasions experiences in the hands of fellow humans, culture, and nature. However, scientists have proved religious doctrines otherwise and even made enemies who fear that it will dethrone religion. As such, the author of the text has shown great appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the reader.

Works Cited

Argyle, Michael. Psychology and religion: An introduction. Routledge, 2005.

Freud, Sigmund. "Religion as a psychological weakness.

Fuller, Andrew Reid. Psychology and religion: Eight points of view. Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.

Hewitt, Marsha Aileen. Freud on religion. Routledge, 2014.

Higgins, Colin, and Robyn Walker. "Ethos, logos, pathos: Strategies of persuasion in social/environmental reports." Accounting Forum. Vol. 36. No. 3. Taylor & Francis, 2012.