Running Head: ATHEISM 1

Atheism

Name

Institutional Affiliation
ATHEISM 2

Atheism

Introduction

Feuerbach held radical beliefs regarding the essence of man, religion, and life as a whole.
Deviating from Hegel's speculative theologies on the existence of a separate God, communism,
and nature, Feuerbach developed his philosophies regarding existence. According to Feuerbach,
beliefs purported by Hegel poison the mind, denying it the ability to see the truth. In his
arguments, for instance, Feuerbach argues that there is no life after death since if it were, then
there would be no life before death. He is of the view that the quality of life lead by man will be
limited in the light of immortality preached in protestant gospels. He, therefore, critiques the
existing knowledge and systems, requiring a revolution, a renewal of the mind to the realities of
the world as he calls it. Feuerbach holds the belief that religion and God are social constructs in
the minds of man, created to help him deal with his fears, weaknesses, and desires. Therefore,
every being has his own God and is in itself infinite. In his philosophies, he analyzes the essence
of man, religion and creates his conceptions on the right theology. This paper, therefore,
examines Feuerbach's radical beliefs and ideas on the essence of man, the essence of religion,
and his conceptions on theology.

Essence of Man

Feuerbach attributes conscience as an essence of man. He asserts that in the strictest

sense, consciousness is the line between a man and a brute, allowing a man to perceive his sense
of being as a collective with the community, and acknowledge that they are objects of thought.
Further, Feuerbach argues that to create the distinction in the nature of man, the abilities to
reason, to will, and to love have to be assessed. Feuerbach adds that for a man to be complete,
he must have the ability to think, the ability to will, and the ability to portray affection to other
men, which are the reasons for his existence. Feuerbach, however, denotes weaknesses in these
aspects of consciousness but noting that man only thinks for the sake of thinking, love for the
sake of loving, and will for the sake of willing. For a man to achieve true existence, he must
learn to think, love, and will, which in their sense, are divine.

Further, he portrays objects as an essence of man and claims that man is nothing without
an object. In his sense, an object refers to a goal, a need, or a desire for which man lives to
ATHEISM 3

obtain. He uses the analogy of the great men in the society as objects, a conception of
exceptional performance that the current generation desire to reach and achieve. Therefore,
without the object, then man would be empty and lose the essence of life. According to
Feuerbach, even for an object that the members of a community cumulatively desire to acquire or
achieve, its realization will have a different meaning, according to the individual needs of the
people. Feuerbach that with the kind of objects a man desire, he can be conscious of himself, and
be acquainted with himself.

Feuerbach portrays a man's weakness as an essence to himself and his being. The
perception of limitations can only exist in the man's mind as a result of thought and is placed on
a delusion and an error. According to Feuerbach, a man attributes his weaknesses to his
community and therefore does little to correct and be absolute. The essence of vulnerability
determines the value of life a man lives. With the analogy of the ephemera, Feuerbach states that
while it lives an exceedingly short life, the life it lives is as long as the life lived by others in
regard to completeness.

Essence of Religion

According to Feuerbach, treating of God in his various aspects forms the anthropological
or true essence of religion. Therefore, he portrays the quality of God as being understanding, an
essence of religion. In this regard, he observes that human beings are conscious and rational, and
by placing upon God the ability to be understanding, then they too were divine. Feuerbach
claims that human beings can fathom their action, premeditate, and therefore created the
construct to clear their conscience and be more acquainted with themselves in their nature. By
placing upon God, the ability to understand the reason for their action, and an ability to forgive
and make them clean again, man can conduct his affairs with a clear mind and a light heart. His
consciousness allows his action through the cleansing system he developed.

Also, love is an essence of religion. Feuerbach regards love as in the nature of his
relationship with fellow me and his perception of the objects in his environment. He claims that
love forms the driving force for man's ambitions and goals, pushing him to chase after his heart's
desires. In religion, love forms the basis of every construct developed in the relationship between
man and God. Love creates the reason for God's understanding and forgiving nature, for his
blessing on man and the promises of great reward. Man, in his consciousness and rational
ATHEISM 4

thoughts, uses love to form the construct in basic structures in the society, such as the family
unit, and reiterates it to make sure that he conducts his responsibilities.

The conception of God as a moral, and just God is also an essence of religion. According
to Feuerbach, this guides the actions of man, restricting it to only the activities that God would
approve, that do not harm others, and result in general contentment in man's objects. The essence
of morality and law in religion also transcend to the general society, providing the framework for
life and association among them.

Conception of Theology

He views the existence of religion and God as a creation of human beings to deal with
their fears, insecurities, weaknesses, and desires. He builds the construct that God is only as
perfect as man attributes him to be. And without the value man assigns to God, then he will be a
negative object. According to Feuerbach, in man's consciousness of divinity, the value assigned
to the object of man's creation is only as much as he attributes to himself. Therefore, to find
contentment in God, a man must find himself in God.

Conclusion

Feuerbach's believes about the essence of man guided his formulation regarding the
concept of religion and life. The value assigned to God in his divinity and theology was only as
much as the man viewed himself and his essence of being. For man, without his consciousness,
perception of weakness, an object to incline his beliefs in, he is incomplete.