Marx famously said "religion is the opium of the masses". Religion eases the harsh reality of our day to day life. He also says that religion is a form of social control and religion will prevent the working class from having a social revolution.
You can see his point ' the meek will inherit the earth' and those who will be last, will first in heaven' ideals like these are reinforced by religion and is a form of social control that is socially constructed. So basically the bible is false and was constructed in order to keep the working class under control.
You may not accept or respect this view, but can you see where he is coming from?
2006-12-08 01:30:31 · 18 answers · asked by Blackout 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"Opium of the masses" is a bit of an oversimplification, but generally true. Religion provides pat answers for things we don't want to think about.
I think it is more complicated than just a way to control people, though. Politicians have figured out that religion does offer tidy voting blocks if they can be swayed to their side. And certain religious leaders have had fair success in using those masses to gain power. However, I don't think that they really have control and the masses are as likely to spit them out and follow a new guy as stay with a current one.
Religion is it's own meme and thrives on basic human insecurities. It propagates itself through emotional manipulation and even the leaders are caught up in it.
2006-12-08 01:33:18 · answer #1 · answered by nondescript 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Sorry folks, I have to disagree. Marx was looking to promote his own agenda, a eutopian society in which all members are absolutely equal. That theory has flaws everywhere. In fact, if you reason it through, it looks an awful lot like Swiss Cheese. Opium was big at the time and only the rich could afford it. Everyone else had to look elsewhere to try and find relief, contentment and understanding. That having been said, religion DOES NOT numb the mind beyond all point of reasoning. It offers hope. Unlike opium or any other quick fix, religion is not addictive. People are not equal and the thought of a communist society has failed repeatedly. It enslaves it's members and still there will always be a few elitist who will be overlord to everyone else.
When looking at the aspect of "Controlling the working class," consider that religion, is one of the first to establish rules of order to maintian a civil society. If anything, opium or any other form of recreational drug is a direct breakdown of societal order. No, today's opiate is the TV. You come home from a long day of work and want to forget about life for a while. What do you do? Click on the TV. It numbs the mind, it tells you when to laugh, when to cheer, when to cry AND, the purveyors can direct you into which ever direction they wish you to go.
I submit to you that those who find Marx's quote to be true are most likely liberal in their thought processes and resent any amount of authority as a threat that might impose.
2006-12-08 01:53:28 · answer #2 · answered by Doc 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am afraid we might get Karl Marx wrongly from this stand point. He appears to be an atheist. Marx's communism developed from a movement against the religions that alienate the people from God. During his time, most religions identified themselves with the abuses of the capitalists.
2006-12-08 01:41:51 · answer #3 · answered by PabloSolutin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
faith is the opiate of the masses, and it does not could be prepared (besides the fact that that's greater effectual as a ability of administration while that's.) Any perception in an afterlife that rewards suffering encourages human beings to settle for insupportable situations in existence. besides the fact that i don't think of Communism is a obtainable economic or political equipment, interior the case Marx have been given it dazzling. seem on the US on the instant; many human beings warfare to proceed to exist day by day on below subsistence wages on the same time as a small variety of human beings administration maximum human beings of wealth. somewhat of human beings banding at the same time to call for honest wages and correct stewardship of our supplies, faith tells us the international is like this for a reason; and that we could consistently settle for it.
2016-10-17 23:41:42 · answer #4 · answered by lander 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Want to know the key to everlasting life? It is Jesus.
I cannot accept or respect his view because his ultimate goal was to control and use the "masses" to suit his own purpose.
2006-12-08 01:48:39 · answer #5 · answered by Missy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He does have a point, but I cannot accept this because of the change that has happened in my life. How can Marx or anyone explain the change that happens in someone when they know Christ? Science has no proof or disproof of this.
2006-12-08 01:36:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Marx and the later communist leaders didn't want to control the masses, did they? Or did they just want to substitute their 'religion' for the current one? They had their own agendas.
2006-12-08 01:35:39 · answer #7 · answered by a_delphic_oracle 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Karl Marx was a Tulmadic Jew and if you check out the Babylonian Talmud you will fully understand why this was his mindset.
2006-12-08 01:35:29 · answer #8 · answered by Sentinel 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's hard to agree with someone who promoted an oppresive society and was a devout atheist. Being a Christian, I wholeheartedly disagree with Karl Marx' statement.
Instead, look towards having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
2006-12-08 01:34:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yeah, pretty much.
There's a TON of evidence for that here. Just look at the responses to this morning's "Are angels real?". Jesus...no wonder the world is so troubled, with all those otherwise adult people believing in imaginary children's tales.
2006-12-08 01:40:07 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋