ABSTRACT
Sigmund Freud's insistent atheism—and his somewhat contradictory, obsessional return to the topic of religion throughout his cultural writings—are both well documented. In a letter dated October 9, 1918 to the Swiss pastor-analyst Oskar Pfister, he described himself as "a completely godless Jew." Less well known are the attitudes toward religion among the men who joined him once a week to reflect on a wide range of implications of the new psychological science: psychoanalysis. This chapter explores the contributions of four figures who explored religious themes and ideas the most among Freud's inner circle. Fascinated with religion, spirituality, and the occult well before meeting Freud, Jung never renounced this interest in the face of Freud's atheism during the period of their closest association. The tragic murders of Spielrein and at least ten other first-generation psychoanalysts in the Holocaust enhance the poignancy and importance of investigating their attitudes as subjects caught at the intersection of ethics, religion, culture, and political subjugation.
