Freud accounts the origin and the persistence among human beings, of religious belief on the account of human beings paranoia. He questions the religious doctrine by claiming these beliefs to be illusions. He feels that religion is a framework for human existence to react to inevitable helplessness and to exercise paranoia of wish fulfillment. These wishes can not be compelled to be true or to be believable. He believes that the riddles of our universe are slowly revealed at our own investigation. He claims to believe that religious doctrines make the questions in existence all to easy to answer. Yet logic or reason cannot refute these premises of religious doctrine. He felt that established religions'moral teachings could be beneficial, but he also believed that individuals should find their own behavioral motivations within themselves rather then relying on any religion to instruct them how to conduct their own lives. .
But the question is what if the religion that so many people have placed faith in had disappeared? Could the existence of man survive the hardships that all life endures with out the consultation of religion? It seems Freud believes that the embracement of religion is on the decline. Religion is wish-full thinking and by this Freud feels that religion has had its time to convey to the world what it can do for the human existence. Yet, the majority of people in society are still unhappy with their lives. It is unfortunate to think he does not support the following of religious belief yet I ask doesn't religion account for the basis of societies moral stature? To answer this I feel Freud believes that morality comes with the growth of a human in their surroundings. A person must master their reality with their own resources along with allowing themselves to fall into their un-escapable fate. .
William James claims to define his mystical states of consciousness as "real?experiences.