In the above quotation, Marx is saying that religion's purpose is to create illusory fantasies for the poor. No one will say it out loud, of course. Because these assumptions are not subjected to serious intellectual scrutiny, the religion-opium argument continues to hold a charm that stems largely from wordplay. Opium of the masses is religion. Another plus: food provides a medium of social exchange.
Had Marx regarded religion as a more serious enemy, he would have devoted more time to it in his writings. How can such a dreary, draining and depressing worldview foster well-being? All we need to do is assimilate and apply the principles of bhakti, which the Bhagavad-gita 18. Might religious belief and practice harmonize us with some deeper reality, thus benefiting us mentally and physically? We assume that the over-65s will take on almost the entire burden of supporting political parties, for which the young occasionally vote, and of maintaining the churches in which the young like to marry. People who believe in religion believe that life is a temporary; everything we work hard for remains when we die. Or is it that people generally feel kind of miserable and just want to feel happy? Isms have proven to be big opiums for the masses. Here is the fundamental truth. Our purpose is our children, whose purpose is their children.
Atheists often like to lay the blame for much of the violence on the feet of religion. Following rules, participating in corporate worship, performing devotions, observing holidays and the like can keep the juices flowing. This membership fee tends to be pricy, and although many Reform communities offer a sliding scale for those who can't afford to pay, the big price tag prevents people from becoming members of the place of worship. Like all social constructs from tribe to nation, culture and language, it can be a source of identity, meaning, and belonging. Last remark not directed toward SocImages, but toward studies like this that like to pretend I don't exist.
For , the basic determining factor of human history is economics. If you are derailing discussions or promoting non-socialist positions, your comments may be removed, and you may receive a warning or a ban. Atheists believed that if people stopped taking the opium of religion, then they would strive for and achieve real well-being at the material level. This understanding inspires us to continue serving Krishna with conviction and devotion. Truth must be examined on its own, not based on who or how many people believe a certain thing.
By so doing, it makes our life meaningful, purposeful, joyful. Broaden the drug to include anything that makes a person feel better, and enough people doing it makes it a religion. Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. How can such a dreary, draining, and depressing worldview foster well-being? A second problem is his claim that religion is wholly determined by material and economic realities. Power and privilege in society always disguise their own arbitrariness behind the facade of fair play, which may be called providence or karma or standardized test scores. I interpret this as Marx seeing religion as the thing the proletariat turns to to ease the pain of their everyday struggles. War is opium for the masses.
In 1841 the government similarly forbade the young Professor Bruno Bauer to lecture at Bonn. Religion usually centers on the existence of a benevolent God by whose grace we can attain a world of eternal happiness. I'm skeptical of the motives of whoever did this study. One billion people still smoke, butts that help to dim the ifs of life for a precious five minutes or so. R J Rummel in the book Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1917 documents that the victims of the Marxist governments amounted to 95,200,000. It is the opium of the people.
But science is revealing the potent power of religious beliefs in physical and mental health. And death comes arbitrarily on anyone at any time. The religion-as-opium argument reflects an arrogant, intolerant faith, the faith known as atheistic fundamentalism. Without them, his moral complaint against capitalism falters, and the rest of his philosophy begins to crumble. .
Christianity, as revealed in God's word, the Bible. We can only learn to shed off some of the false hopes presented by religion if only we do not believe in the Supreme Being. Religion has found a way in which it governs our or lives or society in general. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice.
But be not tempted by the narrative that seeks to banish religion to history with the same fervor of religious zealots. For Marx, all ideas are relative to the social location and interests of their production. This article is about Karl Marx's statement. In fact, our consolations have multiplied in glorious technicolour. Are the hopes offered by religion false? Religion that is based on the idea that man can reach God through effort is false and ultimately leaves its followers lost.