Someone wrote: > A better question would be why more religious types don't > follow the excellent example of Einstein and other highly > intelligent, scientifically-minded people. To which Louis responded: > Not exactly respectful or objective. So, scientifically-minded people > shouldn't believe in a personal god? I think Hume and Popper would take > you on with this one. To which I add: As a clinical psychologist I've been interested in the kneejerk hostile reaction that some (not all) people have towards religion. I've often wondered whether militant atheistic positions were based on a reasonable analysis of the issue or some sort of deeper emotionally-based process. The rhetoric of some militant atheists just seems too emotionally-charged to not reflect some sort of psychopathology. Paul Vitz of NYU conducted a study on notable atheists and later wrote a book entitled "Faith of the Fatherless." Vitz argues that the decision to believe in a theistic or atheistic worldview is not the result of any rational objective decision but rather is based on feelings which were the result of a pernicious early childhood environment. A review of Vitz's text reads: "Atheists, especially the militant ones, are concentrated in academia, the intellectual world, and government. The believers are distributed over a much wider social spectrum. Freud, in The Future of An Illusion, gave his opinion of the origins of belief in God -- the need for security against the unpredictable forces of nature. Freud believed that a person develops a belief in a personal God because of his need for an exulted father. He wrote that when the power of the father breaks down and the child matures, belief in God automatically diminishes. Professor Vitz has developed an interesting theory of why some become atheists. His hypothesis is that it is often the result of having had a 'defective father.' This may be a result of absence, death, indifference, hostility, weakness, cowardliness or any characteristic which would make the father deficient." Of course, I'm sure that those who are hostile towards theistic worldviews (as opposed to those who simply disagree with theistic worldviews) will find a way to discredit Vitz's ideas without even reading his work. Does anyone know of any studies investigating the association between atheism and psychological functioning? Rod Hetzel --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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