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19th-century German philosopher Karl Marx, the founder and primary theorist of Marxism, viewed religion as "the soul of soulless conditions" or the "opium of the people". According to Marx, religion in this world of exploitation is an expression of distress and at the same time it is also a protest against the real distress.
Feb 13, 2024 · Karl Marx discussed some of his ideas about religion in his writings. He understood that religion served a purpose in society but disagreed with the basis of that function. Marx had a hard time believing in unseen truths such as those that religions offer.
- Religion as The ‘Opium of The People’
- Religion and Social Control
- Evidence to Support Marxism
- Criticisms of The Marxist Perspective on Religion
In Marx’s own words: ‘Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. it is the opium of the people’. According to Marx, one of the main ‘functions’ of religion is to prevent people making demands for social change by dulling pain of oppression, as follows: 1. The promise of an...
Religion also acts as a tool of social control in a more direct sense: according to Marx and Engels: ‘The parson has ever gone hand in hand with the landlord’. This was especially true in feudal England when the landed classes’ decisions were frequently legitimated be religious decree: as Marx and Engels saw it, the bourgeois and the church support...
There is a considerable body of historical evidence which supports the Marxist view of the role of religion in society: for example the traditional caste system in India was supported by Hindu religious beliefs (in reincarnation for example); and in Medieval Europe Kings ruled by the ‘divine right of God’. Possibly the most ‘extreme’ example, howev...
Firstly, it is clear that religion does not always prevent social change by creating false class consciousness. There are plenty of examples of where oppressed groups have used religion to attempt (whether successful or not is moot here) to bring about social change, as we will see in the neo-Marxist perspective on religion. Secondly, religion stil...
Nov 21, 2023 · Marx believed that religion was a way to uphold a system of beliefs, ideas, and norms of the wealthy capitalists, stating 'Religion was conceived to be a powerful...
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Jan 7, 2019 · Marx's analysis of religion has flaws, but despite them, his perspective is worth taking seriously. Specifically, he argues that religion is not so much an independent "thing" in society but, rather, a reflection or creation of other, more fundamental "things" like economic relationships.
Although there are plenty of references to religion in Marx’s oeuvre, his most quoted statements on the topic belong to the initial transitional phase in his intellectual trajectory during which his break with the Young Hegelians unfolded.
Jan 25, 2019 · This passage is characteristic of the Marxist contention that the gods are personifications of the powers that dominate human life. When such powers no longer dominate man, there will no longer be gods. This is how Marxism hopes to abolish religion.
