1. Component 2: Philosophy of Religion
Theme 2 – Booklet 4
Theme 2: Challenges to religious belief – Religious belief as a product of the human mind – Booklet 4

2. Evaluation Freud Religious belief can be harmful Religion oppresses
Challenges to Freud
Defence of Freud
Benefits of religions
Freud’s theories have been proved wrong
Freud did not consider all religions
Freud was not objective
Limited evidence
Religious belief can be harmful
Religion oppresses
Freud’s work lead to greater understanding of the mind

3. Evaluating Jung Archetypes Religious experience Individuation
Challenges to Jung
Defence of Jung
Archetypes
Religious experience
Individuation
Reductivism
Unscientific
More positive about religion than Freud
Didn’t claim it was all about sex – (which says more about Freud’s obsessional neuroses than it does about religion – Peter Moore)

4. Evaluating atheism/ New Atheism
Strengths of atheism/ New Atheism
Challenges to atheism/ New Atheism
Religion is not necessary
Religion is a retreat from science
Religion give an impoverished world view
Religion is a virus or a meme
Religion is a bad thing
Religion is necessary to explain the why questions – NOMA
Religion is based on sound arguments – religious apologists
The religions world view is full of awe and wonder
McGrath – Dawkins meme idea is not based on sound science
Religion is a good thing