While I think that Marx is correct in saying that man makes religion, I disagree with the idea that religion is something that people use to delude themselves into believing in. I think that religion is one of many ways that a person can use to find themselves and that the way in which each person is able to find and understand themselves has validity. For example, religious hospitals, Islamic aid to the poor or Hindu and Buddhist reverence for all life are all excellent and beneficial things that are clearly connected to religion.
However, I do feel that Marx is at least partially correct when he refers to religion as the opium of the people. Many consider religion a central part of their lives. While it is a stretch to compare religion to a drug it is not such a stretch to call religion something milder, like a crutch. Like religion, you lean on a crutch for support. I cannot say that this wholly good or bad, but I think the fact that people use religion as a form of support is an undeniable fact. Millions of people find some sort of comfort and the comfort of a religious community for the death of a spouse and happiness in celebrating a life event like a birth or a marriage.
I think Karl Marx’s theories on religion and its role on society were very extreme, but that was his intention. He was a notoriously extreme, leftist thinker and much like there are politicos today, who like Marx, make what they say more extreme to bring attention to what they are saying. This is not to say that Marx was merely going for shock value, but I think that Marx thought that his extreme position would have a much larger impact on people and ultimately be more convincing.
I also support the idea that religion is a form of support for people who are in need of more spiritual assistance to comfort themselves. I didn't think much about how Marx developed this extreme idea and I thought it's interesting that you brought out that Marx could be trying to draw attention from people to persuade them. I also would like to add onto this idea that, perhaps it was a harsh time they were experiencing that people really needed someone with powerful statement like what Marx stated to solidify the "government's" authority and thus easier for the governors to improve the society.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these good ideas, Alex :D
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of religion as a crutch, rather than a drug and I agree that the moral code established by some religions is the foundation for a lot of good works. However, I suspect that Marx may have actually held the extreme opinions expressed in his writings. But maybe not. It might be too difficult to determine, in which case it might not be relevant?