Freud's Threory That the Bible is the Cause of Man's Unhappiness

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Recommended: Roles of religion in history and contemporary societies

The Bible is a sacred text that has guided men and women in life to stay on this path of goodness and selflessness. According to Freud the Bible may be the cause of civilization’s unhappiness. Mankind’s freedom has been stifled because of the restrain society has put on our “primal nature”. Anything that goes against the structure the Bible has made in society has been repelled and ignored because it is no longer something that can be thought of as real or taken seriously. Freud believes that the happiness we cannot attain is due to the freedoms we lack. This belief of lacking in freedom is not correct based on the Bible’s chapters. Mans inability to be happy or remain happy is due to his or her need of having something to prove. This feeling that they will be the exception to life’s hardships is the main cause of human’s downfall. The regulations that are made are not because of a higher power bossing them around, but because of the people in society deciding what is acceptable. Due to Freud’s theory I conclude that due to the repression people in society place upon themselves human beings cause their own unhappiness.
Freud says that “it is hard for mankind to be happy...” (24).Though this statement is controversial when looking at texts like the Bible we notice that he may not be wrong. In the book of Genesis and Exodus we constantly are shown these examples that have stood the test of time to prove we have this ability to take these amazing opportunites we are given and turn it into a struggle. Freud would say that this is due to “feelings of inadequacy...” (24). However, when looking at the books in the Bible, it shows that people do not realize when they have this freedom. People have this ability to decide what paths they ...

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...thout realizing it until one must suffer the consequences is a reason behind the oppression we place on ourselves. Adam and Eve ate the apple and did not think about why they shouldn’t eat the apple until, they realize they are naked. The ego shows that many times we do not think about what happens after. Similar to Adam and Eve questions and feelings are not thought about until, people get into trouble or regret the decision they make. The ego mixed with the Id is this didactic of being in the real world and having all these freedoms, but for some reason humanity much like Adam hides from it.
Both Freud and the Bible both believe in this ability to be happy without the structures and rules society feels is necessary today. However, the Bible shows that human beings have this predisposition to hold themselves back due to their lack of trust in themselves or others.

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