Freud's theory of religion as psychological neurosis and wish fulfillment

¶ … Freud's Lens

Application of Freud's Philosophy to Religion

Different people over the years tried to explain religion and its origin. Sigmund Freud, a medical doctor made significant contribution in his view on religion. Freud believed that religion was an illusion and persistently continued to exist without evidence. In his book, he expressed that religion developed out of homicide. He continued to explain that religion arose due to people's quest to satisfy unfulfilled psychological needs. Freud asserted that religion is purely unconscious. He attributed people follow religion as a means of fulfilling neurotic response to repression.

Freud also had a strong believe that religion was an expression of underlying distress as well as psychological neuroses. In his writings, he suggested at various points that was an attempt aimed at controlling the oedipal complex. This was a mean of giving structure to various social groups, infantile delusion and wish fulfillment. In addition, it was an attempt aimed at controlling the outside world.

Religion and ritual

Every religion is associated with some sort of rituals. Majority of rituals are used to commemorate events with a theological significance (Hicks 460). Others are used to fulfill an accomplishment in the religion. Religious sects use rituals to allow an appocypitcal ideology. Though sects use rituals as some of their main pillars, majority of them eventually reach a grisly end. Other achieves martyrdom. Most sects are known for lack of consistency in performance of their ritual. Generally, rituals act as a proof of religion monopoly and as a sign of its legitimate force.

Jim Joness

Most people regard cults as dirty whose primary intention is to brain wash other people. They are associated with weird rituals and activities. The founders of any new religion are treated with suspicion as they are viewed as cult leaders (William 105). This is the exact scenario Jim Jones found himself into when he begun his church. People referred to his as a fake person whereas other thought that he was crazy. A look at brief history of his life portrays kind of life he went through and the challenges he encountered in building his church. Jim Jones was born in May 13th, 19931 from a Christian family who engaged in farming as a source of their livelihood.

The young Jim was frequently isolated from the society due to his social status. Jim Jones became a leader in the Methodist Church and later he became a pastor. He too was a director of the racially marginalized community. Civil rights group were attracted to his outspokenness on issues. He received immerse support form the public. Quite often he publicly supports martin Luther ideologies. In 1956, Jim ones begun his church called Peoples Temple Full Gospel. Most of his followers were blacks. His teachings were based on Apostolic Socialism from the Acts 4:32-35 in the New Testament. He emphasized on the Marxist doctrine where one should live according to his ability and need. Jim Jones advocated for faith healing and his preaching focused on revival.

Jim proclaimed the coming of racial war and nuclear war, whereby he warned his followers about them. He predicted that on 5 July, there would be a nuclear disaster. He claimed of a forthcoming genocide and prepared his people with means of evading it. Some of his critics regard his predictions some of the ways that he used to enrich himself. Jim Jones searched for a place where members of his congregation will take cover during the predicaments ahead. Jones believed that his congregation would sustain the disasters ahead, which made him to start making plans on rebuilding a Christian society.

By 1967, he had already established significant religious roles. His participation of civil matters had grown considerably. The two factors contributed to the overwhelming growth of his congregation in California. Jones made use of media to convey the gospel, and his ideologies. He published journals that circulated in the whole of United States of America. He used radio station programs to reach out to his followers. His ministries acquired 27,000 acres in Guyana which he referred to it as an Esquire -- the place where his congregation would hide from nuclear war (Kirkland, 34).

Jim was accused of infidelity and he was said to engage with sexual activities with some of the white women from his flock. In 1972, one of his female followers known as Grace Steon gave birth to a son called Victor Steon. His husband Tim Steon publicly declared that the baby was Jim Jones' son. Bitter battles on the custody of the baby ensued, which brought about confusion and division in his church. The baby was later put to the custody of the Peoples Temple church (Pals and Daniel 17) Steon's case attracted the government to investigate the operation of the Peoples Temple Church. The investigations proved that the followers of the church suffered abuse. The investigations confirmed sexual and physical abuse allegations.

Jim Jones interpreted the government actions as ways of persecuting his church. Jim retaliated by moving away with some of his followers to the "promised land" the Guyanese jungle. Those who defected from his church together with their relatives formed a movement and later published real stories of financial and physical abuse in the People's Temple Church. Steon later filed a court case seeking to adopt Victor Steon. In his suit, he asked for damages to the tune of 56 million (Pals and Daniel 19).

The two cases of the Madhi movement as well as Jim Jones compare and contrast in many areas with regards to Freud's religion theory. When it comes to Madhi movement, Freud view on religion is an illusion seen by many as a society of brainwashed individuals. The followers of Madhi movement could go to an extent of professing his faith to him. When it comes to Jim Jones, it is a fact that the declaration of the day of dooms 5th May, 1967 not a reality to any normal person. Jones followers were so much brainwashed to believe that Guyanese Jungle could be immune from nuclear war. Freud's believe that religions grow out of homicide are evident in Madhis movement (Hicks 64). Due to the factor that Sudan was under colonial rule, it is likely that the country experience killing and persecution of those who failed to obey the colonizers rule. This factor contributed eminently to the resign of the Madhi movement. The same is evident in Jim Jones followers. Initially majority of his followers were black and historically, most countries including United States of America were undergoing racialism. This factor made majority of the blacks join Jim Jones movement.

Freud's theory on religion explains that most people join religion because of unfilled psychological needs. The Madhi movement evidently illustrates this factor, as majority of the followers were the poor. The rich normally have plenty of resources whereby most of their physical, emotion and psychology needs are fulfilled (Craig et al. 43). This is contrary to the poor for most of their time is spent on looking for resources to fulfill the social, emotional and psychological hunger. If those needs are not easy to come by, they eventually seek divine intervention, as it was the case with Madhi followers. The same is evident in Jones followers. His embarked on faith healing and Christian revival ministries. The sick especially the terminally ill patient loses hope in life and divine intervention is left as the only source of hope.

Freud's theory on religion regards the move by followers of a religious group to seek divine intervention as an unconscious response to activities geared towards repression. In a colonial rule, chances are that there are evident cases of oppression. The oppressed normally have no means of expressing what they go through. To resolve the problems associated with oppression, the affected people unconsciously find themselves looking for means of resolving their problems. A good way to achieve this is by joining a religion (Ellens 69). The two cases clearly illustrate that sects do not live for long after the death of their initiator. The Madhis movement did not last for long after the death of Mohammed Ahmed. Additionally the forces within the sect or outside may lead to its failure. When Jim Jones was accused of infidelity, his church started to disintegrate.

Sect leaders use them to satisfy their personal gain. Jim Jones church has acquired many assets, most of which were under association. In the case of Madhi movement, Mohammed Ahmed became popular and to an extent, his followers worshiped him. People whose initial idea could be spiritual author sects. After some time the original ideal fades away. For example, Mohammed Ahmed initial motive was real spiritual but eventually his motives were geared towards gaining political ambition. On the other hand, Jim Jones was truly advocating for Christian values and beliefs. As time went by, he drifted from those values by engaging with activities contrary to the Christian teaching. His infidelity case was a true sign of duration his moral values as a Christian (Ellens 71).