ABSTRACT
Freud’s theories of magic and religion, like most psychological theories examined in Chapter 3, have the greatest difficulty, as noted, in dealing with the social character of religious belief and practice. Yet Freud’s theories are often compared with those of the first sociological theorist to be discussed here, namely, Karl Marx. There are indeed some similarities between them. Both saw religion as a compensating and comforting illusion which would eventually be dispensed with as human beings lost their need for illusions. Neither saw religion as an integral part of human society or life per se and both can be contrasted in this respect with typical functionalist theorists to be examined later. Yet Marx’s theory is essentially a sociological theory and not a psychological one.1
