Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, declared that religion is a universal obsessional neurosis in his famous work of 1927, The Future of an Illusion. This work provoked immediate controversy and has continued to be an important reference for anyone interested in the intersection of philosophy, psychology, religion, and culture.

Included in this volume is Oskar Pfisterâ s critical engagement with Freudâ s views on religion. Pfister, a Swiss pastor and lay analyst, defends mature religion from Freudâ s â scientism.â Freudâ s and Pfisterâ s texts have been updated in Gregory C. Richterâ s translations from the original German.