Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism

by Paul C. Vitz

Overview

In this updated, expanded edition, starting with Freud's "projection theory" of religion - that belief in God is merely a product of man's desire for security - Professor Vitz argues that psychoanalysis actually provides a more satisfying explanation for atheism. Disappointment in one's earthly father, whether through death, absence, or mistreatment, frequently leads to a rejection of God.

A biographical survey of influential atheists of the past four centuries shows that this "defective father hypothesis" provides a consistent explanation of the "intense atheism" of these thinkers. A survey of the leading defenders of Christianity over the same period confirms the hypothesis, finding few defective fathers. Vitz concludes with an intriguing comparison of male and female atheists and a consideration of other psychological factors that can contribute to atheism.

Professor Vitz does not argue that atheism is psychologically determined. Each man, whatever his experiences, ultimately chooses to accept God or reject him. Yet the cavalier attribution of religious faith to irrational, psychological needs is so prevalent that an exposition of the psychological factors predisposing one to atheism is necessary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681491691
Publisher:	Ignatius Press
Publication date:	09/10/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	239 KB

About the Author

Paul C. Vitz, is Professor/Senior Scholar at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Arlington, Va. and a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at New York University. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan and his Ph. D at Stanford University. He was an atheist until his late 30s. Professor Vitz is the author/editor of a variety of books including: The Self: Beyond the Postmodern Crisis,Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, Sigmund Freud's Christian Unconscious, Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's Textbooks and numerous articles in professional and popular journals.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
1	Intense Atheism	3
	The Projection Theory of Belief in God	6
	Freud's Unacknowledged Theory of Unbelief	9
	A New Theory of Atheism: The Defective Father Hypothesis	15
2	Atheists and Their Fathers	17
	Dead Fathers	20
	Friedrich Nietzsche	20
	David Hume	25
	Bertrand Russell	26
	Jean-Paul Sartre	28
	Albert Camus	31
	Arthur Schopenhauer	32
	Abusive and Weak Fathers	34
	Thomas Hobbes	34
	Jean Meslier	36
	Voltaire	38
	Jean d'Alembert	40
	Baron d'Holbach	42
	Ludwig Feuerbach	43
	Samuel Butler	44
	Sigmund Freud	47
	H. G. Wells	48
	Minor Atheists	51
	John Toland	51
	Richard Carlile	53
	Robert Taylor	54
	Contemporary Atheists	54
	Madalyn Murray O'Hair	54
	Albert Ellis	55
3	Theists and Their Fathers	58
	Blaise Pascal	59
	George Berkeley	60
	Joseph Butler	62
	Thomas Reid	62
	Edmund Burke	64
	Moses Mendelssohn	67
	William Paley	69
	William Wilberforce	69
	Francois Rene de Chateaubriand	71
	Friedrich Schleiermacher	72
	John Henry Newman	73
	Alexis de Tocqueville	75
	Samuel Wilberforce	77
	Soren Kierkegaard	78
	Baron Friedrich von Hugel	81
	G. K. Chesterton	82
	Albert Schweitzer	85
	Martin Buber	86
	Karl Barth	88
	Dietrich Bonhoeffer	89
	Abraham Heschel	91
4	Extensions and Qualifications	94
	Substitute Fathers	94
	Don Bosco	95
	Hilaire Belloc	98
	Walker Percy	100
	Political Atheists	104
	Joseph Stalin	104
	Adolf Hitler	105
	Mao Zedong	107
	The Atheist Father as a Positive Influence	107
	Men and Women: Some Differences	109
	Simone de Beauvoir	113
	Ayn Rand	116
	Jill Johnston	118
	Kate Millett	120
	Exceptions	122
	Denis Diderot	122
	Karl Marx	124
	Other Psychologies of Unbelief	126
5	Superficial Atheism: A Personal Account	130
	General Socialization	134
	Specific Socialization	135
	Personal Independence	136
	Personal Convenience	136
	Another Exemplary Case	137
6	Conclusions	139
	Intelligence, Ambition, and Will	140
	The Complete Model	143
	Notes	149
	Index	166

Editorial Reviews

Vitz (psychology, New York U.), an atheist himself until his 30s, exposes atheism to the same psychological analysis atheistic apologists have used to debunk religious belief. Beginning with Freud's notion that belief in God is a product of humanity's desire for security, he argues that psychoanalysis is actually a better explanation for denial of God, concluding that the absence of a good father is at the core of militant atheism. Surveys of the leading intellectual defenders of atheism and Christianity, show that the atheists had "defective fathers" while the believers did not. Vitz does not intend to suggest that atheism is psychologically determined, but rather hopes to counteract the idea that irrational psychological factors lead one to believe in God. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Vitz offers a radical new thesis about the psychological origins of atheism. By studying the lives of numerous famous atheists, from the old atheists Nietzsche, Sartre, and Freud to the new atheists Hitchens, Dawkins, and Dennet, Vitz discovers a startling common pattern: atheism arises in people with dead, absent, or abusive fathers. By contrast, prominent defenders of religious belief-including Blaise Pascal, John Henry Newman, and G.K. Chesterton-were blessed with attentive, loving and caring fathers. Vitz's provocative book raises important questions about psychology, religious belief, and the importance of fathers." 
- Christopher Kaczor, Author, The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church

"Quite simply, Paul Vitz's Faith of the Fatherless is a minor classic, a book that should be on the short list of all those who want to understand, in the deepest terms, the ill effects caused by the failures of fatherhood. Faith of the Fatherless should function as a gateway book to research in all fields examining our current, highly-secularized culture, a culture marked deeply by both unbelief and hostility toward the family and especially fatherhood." 
- Benjamin Wiker, Author, Architects of the Culture of Death

"In deploying Freudian theory against atheism itself, Paul Vitz has proven beyond a doubt what's missing from secular accounts of secularization: namely, actual human beings. His thesis is intellectual jujutsu of the first order, as anyone reading this timely revisiting will appreciate in full."
- Mary Eberstadt, Author, The Loser Letters and Adam and Eve after the Pill

"Paul C. Vitz has republished one of the most profound books in the emperical psychology of religion, Faith of the Fatherless, now with additional data. Here he skillfully demonstrates objective analogies between the family experiences of articulate atheists and their pronouncements concerning the family of God. Of course, since there is "nothing" more personal than God-and our beliefs and relationships to God-our capacities for personal relationship matter tremendously in the formation of our divine beliefs. Everything is interconnected, we know. However, Prof. Vitz's engaging style makes his demonstration of these objective analogies especially memorable and useful for understanding unbelief and ourselves."
- Paul de Vries, PhD, President, NY Divinity School

"The reasons for belief in God and unbelief are complex and varied and hotly disputed. Paul Vitz makes a striking contribution to the current debate with an elegant and thoroughly plausible explanation for much atheism that turns the traditional Freudian critique of religion on its head. Relying on the biographies of well-known modern atheists, he finds significant evidence that negative childhood experiences with regard to one's father can severely compromise one's capacity to believe in God. Whatever one's beliefs, there is much to ponder in this well-written and well-researched book."
- Eric L. Johnson, PhD, Director, Society for Christian Psychology

From the Publisher