5 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: Freud on Death: Religion as Escapism
I don't think Freud understood religion very well. For example, look at Kali, goddess of destruction, in Hinduism. Nothing escapist about that.
I do think there are certain flavors of Christianity that I would equate with escapism (i'd imagine you could find similar flavors in many religions). But Freud didn't say that, afaik.
Comment by my_stupidquestions at 20/01/2020 at 02:07 UTC
13 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Hinduism has a concept of reincarnation, though, which offers the death escapism Freud is talking about. Moreover, the creation of eternal entities that offer a standard of absolute value/meaning save the individual from the existential despair of a full confrontation with the void.
Buddhism is the only religion that seems to force practitioners to face nihilism in that way, and yet there are tons of sects that replace eternal death (escape from samsara) with some kind of heaven or paradise, missing the point and bringing the escapism right back into it.
Comment by WhiteEyeHannya at 20/01/2020 at 14:10 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
But with Kali the destruction, or Wrath isn't the only aspect of the deity. The destruction and rebirth are cyclical, so I don;t think destruction carries the same connotation you are implying.