"Religion...is the Opium of the People" - What did Marx Mean?

by cofty 82 Replies latest social current

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  PSacramento

  Sorry PSac, in my own personal experience with christians (which is pretty extensive) I have found few who don't have the superiority complex. Look at your own post. You juxtapose glowing motivations and accomplishments of christians, with extreme negative examples of supposed atheists. Lol and no mention at all of other religions.

  We are the sum of our experiences, that's for sure and I am sorry yours have been so bad.

  I don't think my post reek of superiority and if they do, I apologise since that was not my intent.

  We are only expressing our opinions and no one's is better or wrose than anothers, they are simply what they are, opinions.

  But this here:

  You juxtapose glowing motivations and accomplishments of christians, with extreme negative examples of supposed atheists.

  When did I do that?

  As for other religions I have said, quite often, that there is a universal truth to ALL religions and that you will find excellent examples of people in all religions, not sure where you would get the idea that I think otherwise.
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  cofty

  there is a universal truth to ALL religions

  Which can be summed up as a belief that this life is not all there is. That justice will prevail in the afterlife, that suffering is somehow all for the good even if we can't understand how.

  But all of these delusions are just what Marx said they were, opium. They may soothe the pain of reality but they also dull the rage we ought to feel at injustice and the urgency of change. I can't thank you enough for raising Mother T. as a perfect example of the way religion makes a virtue out of the suffering of the oppressed but does nothing to challenge the status quo.
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  villabolo

  PSacramento:

  "You guys keep saying that it drives people to disregard THIS world in the favout of the "next world" and for soem, yes that is the case, but you guys also KNOW that is NOT the case for the majority."

  I was referrig to the bulk of Christianity in the late 19th century when Karl Marx made that famous religion = opium comparison.

  Nowadays, society has not only become more secularized, but Christian religions in general have become more "liberal". Nonetheless, the "pie in the sky when you die" mentality defines Fundamentalist Christians. While they may have some charity towards their own members (And in extreme exceptions, which I've personally witnessed, towards others.) they have, co-influenced by their political conservatism, a total disregard for the poor.

  Those who are poor and Fundamentalist Christians are simply self loathing hypocrites who grovel in the ideology of those who despise them as they cash in their welfare checks.

  Villabolo
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  darthfader

  This is Religion's place in Capitalism according to Marx:
  
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  beksbks

  Can't disagree with old Karl.................

  We seem to be at another point in history where the "aristocracy" is wielding so much power, they aren't even pretending to be diplomatic.
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  villabolo

  Beksbks: "Can't disagree with old Karl................."

  Pinko, Commie!!!

  Villabolo
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  beksbks

  I'd rather be a Pinko Commie than a corporate lovin' right wing Fascist!!
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  darthfader

  I'd prefer to be neither... thank you :)
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  beksbks

  Wimp!
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  BizzyBee

  Darth, most of the scenarios offered do not include 'choice'.........