기독교 영성의 관점에서 본 프로이트 종교론에 대한 비판

Abstract

This research criticizes Freud’s theory on religion. Freud, who has exerted his influence to many areas such as arts and culture as well as psychology, also deals with religion in his articles. He analyzes and criticizes religion from a psychoanalytic perspective. This study shows how Freud understands religion, revealed in his several articles. Freud sees that religion is an universal obsessional neurosis. He finds the similarities between the obsessive neurosis and religious behaviors. Based on his observation on the acts of obsessive-compulsive patients, he concludes that religious rituals are neurotic behaviors. He tries to uncover the evidences of his argument from anthropological data. He believes that the origin of religion and God can be found from totemism in the primitive society. Then, this article interprets Freud’s theory on religion from the perspective of christian spirituality. It focuses on two parts. Firstly, it explains why spiritual matters are important in dealing with religion and why Freud fails to illustrate this in depth. It points out that Freud cannot give an explanation on spiritual phenonenon since he does not have any spiritual experience. He presents religion in the form of ritual and liturgy, excluded christian spirituality, which is one of important parts. Because of this, oceanic experience or religious experience cannot be persuasively interpreted in Freud’s theory. Secondly, it compares maturity in Freud’s theory with that in christian spirituality. Freud says that religion has to disappear for the maturity of human beings. However, the aim of psychoanalysis is almost the same as that of christian spirituality. Rather, spiritual maturity has broader meanings. It does not simply mean that a man controls ego or unconsciousness. It includes that a man devotes himself to a higher value in life. From a slightly different perspective, psychologists such as Jung and Adler insist that religion should be accepted by people to become mature. In this sense, Freud has a narrow perspective on spirituality and religion. This paper widens the understanding of christian spirituality by exploring a topic that Korean scholars have ignored.