God the Father - and Mother: Study and Extension of Freud's Conception of God as an Exalted Father

During recent years, the need to re-examine and refine psychoanalytic theories in the light of discoveries made since Freud's death has become increasingly obvious. This need is especially pressing in that part of psychoanalytic thought pertaining to anthropology and religion. To help meet this need, an attempt will be made in the pages to follow to analyze and re-evaluate Freud's views concerning the god concept.

But first, a few preliminary observations. Freud approached the god concept with impatience and with the fixed viewpoint of a partisan. He considered only one — the anthropomorphic — picture of God, dismissing all others as unworthy of examination.1 He acknowledged that his analysis of why men worshipped God could neither prove nor disprove God's existence; yet he repeatedly disparaged the notion of God, calling it “patently infantile” and “incongruous with reality.” He saw God as nothing but an exalted father; yet — as this study will attempt to show — an anthropomorphic god may serve not only as a father-substitute, but also as a mother-substitute. Nevertheless, within the limitations these faults impose, Freud's analysis of the god concept is remarkably persuasive. And, hopefully, this study and