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Freud revered reason, championing the cause of enlightenment and scientific progress. In his seminal work on religious critique, *The Future of an Illusion*, he emphasized the supreme power of reason. While acknowledging the fragility of rational discourse, he steadfastly believed in its resilience. Freud, an atheistic physician, was shaped by the pioneers of 19th-century experimental physiology, adhering to a worldview rooted in atheism and Enlightenment ideals. In the clash between science and religion, he emerged as the last philosopher of the Enlightenment. Freud’s religious critique is characterized by atheism, Enlightenment traditions, and anthropological perspectives, employing psychoanalytic methods of interpretation. Darwin’s theory of evolution and Feuerbach’s works on religious criticism inspired the foundational framework of his critique. The writings of Schiller and Thomas Mann provided him with inspiration, aiding his composition of *Moses and Monotheism*. This article analyzes Freud’s religious critique in his relevant works, exploring its rationalist features and intellectual origins.

I. The Rationalist Characteristics of Freud’s Religious Views and Their Intellectual Origins

Freud’s perspective on religion was deeply influenced by European Enlightenment thought, particularly the rationalist traditions of Bacon and Descartes, as well as the atheistic ideas of Voltaire, Diderot, and Feuerbach. He embraced the progressive ideologies of Copernicus and Darwin, integrating materialism, Darwinism, evolutionary theory, and species theory into his own framework. Under the influence of British empiricism and liberalism, Freud developed his intellectual orientation. He held Feuerbach in particularly high esteem, deeply impacted by his materialist anthropology and religious critique—especially Feuerbach’s view of religion as a "dream of the mind." Freud incorporated folk superstitions and demonic imagery into his religious critique, interpreting them as manifestations of repressed and forbidden sexual practices. He rejected the role of religion in treating neuroses, instead analyzing cases through the lens of reason and psychoanalysis. Firm in his atheism and rationalism, Freud regarded psychoanalysis as a discipline of atheism and delved more intensively into questions of civilization and religion in the 1920s, opposing tendencies toward mysticism. In *The Future of an Illusion*, he articulated his rejection of religion, emphasizing reason’s role in dispelling falsehoods and opposing the illusory nature of religion. Freud viewed religion as a product of civilization—contributing to human culture but also an outdated relic. He advocated replacing religion with rational intellectual labor and scientific progress, as science alone acknowledges its own provisional and imperfect nature. Freud deemed religious belief an illusion, arguing that God arises from humanity’s innermost wishes. He likened religious doctrines to "residues of neuroses" and sought to replace them with rational psychoanalytic therapy in clinical practice. Declaring himself an "educator of human intellect," he promoted secular education and opposed religion’s constraints on thought. Freud saw science as tasked with lifting the veil of religion, aspiring for it to unveil the "riddle of the world." He positioned psychoanalysis as an alternative to mysticism, defending the fortress of science. While upholding atheism and Enlightenment rationality in his examination of natural science, psychoanalytic theory, and religious belief, Freud also recognized the pitfalls of excessive rationalism. He warned that unchecked scientific encroachment on nature might lead humanity to eradicate itself. Freud stands as the last great representative of Enlightenment rationalism—the first to demonstrate both the power and the limitations of reason. In contrast, Einstein transcended the dichotomy between rational science and religion, emphasizing their complementary roles at a higher level.

II. An Anthropological Approach: Comparing Religion to Neurosis

Freud’s religious critique was grounded in anthropology, framing religion as part of civilization—a psychological solace in the face of nature’s threats and mortality. He drew parallels between religion and neurosis, arguing that religious phenomena resemble neurotic symptoms, both involving early trauma, defense mechanisms, and latency periods. Freud distinguished between the motivational roots of religion and neurosis: while neurosis stems from sexual desires, religion arises from egoistic wishes. His psychoanalytic therapy gained prominence during the decline of European Christianity, coinciding with rising mental illness and waning faith. Applying his research on neurosis to religion, Freud viewed religious phenomena as aspects of mass psychology, closely linked to neurotic conditions. Influenced by anthropologists and theologians, he interpreted modern religion through the lens of psychological projection, analyzing its ties to myth, philosophy, and psychology. In *Moses and Monotheism*, he likened the decline of Israelite religion to the experiences of neurotic patients, proposing that Judaism’s emergence was tied to followers’ fear of divine punishment—mirroring the genesis of neurosis. Freud feared ecclesiastical backlash against psychoanalysis, as his theories reduced religion to a collective neurosis.

III. Freud’s Portrayal of Moses and Its Connection to Schiller’s Essay *The Mission of Moses*

In *Moses and Monotheism*, Freud explored religious theory, the image of Jews, and the founding of psychoanalysis, positing that religion wields psychological and historical influence. Inspired by Thomas Mann and Schiller, Freud depicted Moses as an Egyptian, highlighting his impact on Jewish identity and contrasting Judaism with Egyptian religion. He theorized that Moses, possibly an Egyptian nobleman, introduced monotheism to the Jews—a faith resembling Egypt’s Aton religion. Freud’s rationalist analysis of Moses’ role in shaping Judaism echoed Schiller’s Enlightenment-era interpretation of Moses in *The Mission of Moses*, which underscored Judaism’s contributions to rational thought. Freud also examined Christian animosity toward Jews, attributing it to envy and inferiority complexes. He reevaluated Moses’ role in Israelite religion, emphasizing Judaism’s pluralistic origins.

IV. Conclusion

Freud regarded religion as a critical subject of study, blending atheism, anthropology, and Enlightenment rationality in his critique. By analogizing individual neuroses with religious origins, he explored parallels between religious rituals and compulsive behaviors. Thomas Mann believed Freud’s psychoanalysis advanced the triumph of reason and spirit, countering anti-Enlightenment trends and encouraging youth to study it. Freud insisted on science supplanting religion, refusing to yield to faith even when confronting mortality, trusting instead in science’s gradual revelations. Unlike Einstein, who saw science and religion as interdependent, Freud leaned decisively toward rationalism. His study of Moses was inspired by Schiller and Thomas Mann; in *Moses and Monotheism*, he reinterpreted Moses and Jewish identity, while *Joseph in Egypt* examined links between religion and neurosis, countering Nazi antisemitism. Freud hoped his psychoanalytic legacy would endure like the monotheism Moses bestowed upon Judaism.

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