What is Freud's interpretation of religion?

Answer 1

To say that Sigmund Freud was highly disdainful of religion in general would really be an understatement. From the perspective of his work in psychology, he generally treated religion as a farce, something made-up in the mind to provide the believer with comfort, or as a natural kind of "defense" in the brain to protect against doubts, worries, fears, or to use as a crutch.

Freud sought often to debunk and explain all the "specialness" of God or the supernatural as either delusional products of the mind, or as a series of very un-special events that people foolishly misinterpreted. It should be noted that some of the greatest criticisms of Freud's work stems from the fact that in multiple areas, his own personal vendettas and faults were projected onto his "scientific" views.

It is arguable, though if one reads many of Freud's thoughts on religion it becomes rather apparent, that he tends to cross the line from purely non-passionate observation of religion and mixes in his own personal hang-ups with it. It's kind of like reading a paper that a doctor writes to declare why a certain kind of treatment is invalid, and then realizing that he is not just explaining facts for why it's a bad treatment, but also describing how much he dislikes it personally.

Answer 2

Freud believed that religion is a form of wish fulfillment, where people create a concept of a higher power to fulfill their desires and protect them from existential anxieties. He viewed religion as a projection of human needs and fears, rooted in childhood experiences and the unconscious mind. Freud argued that religious beliefs stem from a combination of psychological factors, including a longing for a parent figure and a need for comfort in the face of uncertainty.

Answer 3

He viewed religion as unscientific, and that it had no place in modern society.