tags::#theology Argued that God was an invention of the human mind to satisfy emotional needs. (When in fear, God is dear)
“The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion” (Marx)
He believed that the ruling classes used religion to dominate and oppress their subjects by offering them an illusion of escape.
“It eased pain even as it created fantasies” (Marx)
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Religion serves fantasies in the form of paradise (the idea that those who suffer shall be rewarded in the afterlife)
“The meek shall inherit the earth” (Jesus)
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He observed that man created God, not vice versa, and that religion was an alienating force, prescribing to God powers that man possessed.
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Only by loving one another rather than loving God could man reclaim his humanity.
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Ironically, religion had originated in revolutionary movements but, once detached from its roots, it had been used by the ruling classes to dominate and oppress.
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Although religion offered a release from distress, it was a false release and thus claimed Marx, was “the opiate of the people” (Marx).
- i.e. religion is used to numb the senses of the poor to stop them from rebelling against the higher class.
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Whilst giving nothing of true value, it promised salvation from bondage and misery in the afterlife, where people would be rewarded for their virtue.
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Diverting attention away from the real source of social oppression and keeping the ruling class in power.
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In envisaging a non-religious community which would follow from revolution, Marx conceived of primitive communist societies in which the members of the community-owned all resources jointly. In such systems, goods would be shared throughout this group, so that each person had what they needed to live and to produce but no more.
Criticisms
- Liberation theology has blended Marxism and Christianity in an attempt to change the nature of society for the oppressed with rejecting belief in God. The liberation theologians declared that such suffering was against the will of God and contrary to the teaching of Christ.
“We are on the side of the poor, not because they are good but because they are poor” (Gustavo Gutierrez)
- Religion is a force that is open to interpretation, so it can be an influence for both change and stagnation. The internal philosophies of some religions may appear to discourage change, whilst other more radical branches encourage it.
- Weber suggested that religion promoted social change and that capitalism had developed in Europe due to the Protestant ethic of hard work and self-denial.
- Religion is no longer necessary in a capitalist society and yet it still exists. Religion may decline for other reasons but not because the capitalist system preserves it.