Belief in God is just wishful thinking, a comforting crutch

Why this objection lands

There is something to it. Many people do find comfort in faith, and human beings are very good at believing what they want to. Freud argued in The Future of an Illusion that God is a projection of our longing for a protective father. Earlier, Ludwig Feuerbach argued that God is humanity's ideals projected onto the sky. If a belief fits our wishes perfectly, it is reasonable to be suspicious.

Where the argument goes wrong

Explaining why someone believes something doesn't tell us whether it is true. Philosophers call this the genetic fallacy. A child may believe the earth is round because her teacher said so, which tells you nothing about the earth's shape. C.S. Lewis had a name for this move, "Bulverism": assuming someone is wrong and then explaining why they came to be so silly, without ever showing that they are wrong.

So the real question isn't whether belief in God could be wishful. It's whether the evidence for God holds up. That is a matter for arguments about the universe's beginning, morality, consciousness and the history of Jesus, which are explored on Is there a God? and Is Christianity true?.

The argument cuts both ways

If wishes can drive belief, they can drive unbelief too. Many people have reasons to hope there is no God: no final judgment, no one to answer to, total freedom to run their own lives. The philosopher Thomas Nagel candidly wrote, in The Last Word, that he hoped there was no God and didn't want the universe to be like that. Psychology alone can't settle the matter for either side.

Is Christianity actually comforting?

It's worth noticing that Christianity is not what most people would invent if they were designing a comfort religion. It says we are morally broken and need forgiveness. It calls followers to love enemies, give generously, and carry a cross. It includes the idea of judgment. Many believers describe coming to faith reluctantly. Lewis described himself as "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."

Does God give meaning, or is that a crutch?

Some say "God gives life meaning" is just a crutch for people who can't face a meaningless universe. But again, whether a belief is comforting doesn't decide whether it is true. A crutch is only a bad thing if you don't actually have a broken leg. If human beings really are made for a purpose, then looking for meaning in God isn't weakness; it's realism. That question is explored more on What is the meaning of life?

A fair concession

Believers should welcome the warning. Faith can be used to avoid hard truths, and some religious belief really is shallow comfort. The answer is to hold beliefs for good reasons and to be willing to test them.

The bottom line

We all have hopes that pull on our beliefs. The honest thing is to admit that, set it aside, and look at the evidence. Wishful thinking is a reason to check your reasoning, not a reason to dismiss God.