Paul Vitz is an American psychologist who is a Senior Scholar at Divine Mercy University in Sterling, Virginia. He is emeritus professor of psychology at New York University.

His landmark book was a fascinating study of the role of parents in relation to the absence of faith. It was called Faith of the Fatherless, and it was about the psychology of atheism.

In the preface to the book, he notes that there is a widespread assumption that:

“… belief in God is based on all kinds of irrational, immature needs and wishes, where atheism or skepticism flows from a rational, grown-up, no-nonsense view of things as they really are.”

He then argues that from a psychological standpoint, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, his research found the exact opposite. He found that the average atheist’s rejection of a Father God is rooted in their disappointment in, and resentment of, their own father.

He then details the many ways a father can lose his authority or seriously disappoint his child; for example:

... he can be absent through death or abandonment;

... he can be present but obviously weak, cowardly, and unworthy of respect;

... he can be present but physically, sexually, or psychologically abusive.

He calls these determinants of atheism the “defective father hypothesis.” The idea is that whatever might weaken or harm the relationship of a child with his father or parents will, in general, predispose the child in adulthood to atheism or unbelief or to spiritualist beliefs without a personal God.

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