Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship by Paul Vitz

Edward Williams Visit in the average fundamentalist Baptist home and you will find psychology books (secular and Christian) endorsing self-love. Self-help books, magazines, and pop psychologies encourage believers to have their ‘love tanks’ filled, teaching that man’s greatest need is proper self-esteem not the forgiveness of sin and a right relationship with God (i.e., Robert Schuller).

Most people have embraced and endorsed psychology, causing psychology to become an enormous religious business with believers often serving as its great high priests. Paul Vitz states, ‘. . . psychology has become a religion: a secular cult of the self. By this I mean an intensely held worldview, a philosophy of life or ideology. More specifically, contemporary psychology is a form of secular humanism based on the rejection of God and the worship of the self’ (xii). Paul Vitz argues that:

• Psychology as a religion exists and it exists in strength throughout the US.
• Psychology as a religion can be criticized on many grounds quite independent of religion.
• Psychology as a religion is hostile to most religions but is specifically anti-Christian.
• Psychology as a religion is widely taught and supported by Christians.
• Psychology as a religion has for years been destroying individuals, families, and communities. But in recent years the destructive logic of this secular system is beginning to be understood, and as more and more people discover the emptiness of self-worship Christianity is presented with a major historical opportunity to provide meaning and life (xiii).

Although he is a Roman Catholic (xv) and believes some aspects of psychology can be effectively baptized for utilization (xvi), Paul Vitz has written an important book that exposes the dangerous and heretical contemporary philosophical system of self-worship known as psychology.