Marx RP1

Religion is intrinsic to human existence. As Marx writes “Religion is the general theory of this world”. In his audacious critique, he attempts to “[pluck] the imaginary flowers on the chain”, ”disillusion[ing] man, so that he will think, act, and fashion his reality like a man who has…regained his senses”. However, Marx’s attempt consists of generalized statements on the subject.

Marx claims that religion is a product of the society to keep the oppressed oppressed. In making this generalization, he fails to account religions that do place all their followers on the same level. For example, when Muslims pray in the mosque they stand shoulder-to-shoulder, regardless of race, wealth and education all in one line.

Associating religion with opium, Marx tries to portray man’s dependence on his faith. It is evident that man has used and continues to use religion to answer his questions, give a purpose to his life and a path to follow. The extent of this dependence on religion, though, depends entirely on the follower. If one’s religion obliges him/her to read certain holy verses, it is him/her who decides if reading once in a lifetime is enough or reading three times a day.

It is perhaps man that has corrupted religion by interpreting it in ways that serve his motives. What we see today as religion is nowhere close to what it once represented. The Bible has gone through numerous revisions in order to make it relevant to today’s society, which might have resulted in a loss of its intended meaning. The Qur’an has been interpreted in ways never anticipated—the concept of jihad (which literally means struggle) justifying killing innocent people.