Marx On Religion
Karl Marx’s statement regarding the role religion plays in peoples lives that is enshrined within Critique of Hegel’s ‘Philosophy of Right’ in general, is a fallacious assertion. Marx proclaimed that “religion is the opium of the people” (Marx, 1844) and entail, blanketed everyone under this one perspective of religion thereby failing to specify that this opium effect religion can have on people does not apply to everyone. Despite the overgeneralization it possesses, the quotation is not entirely incorrect as it can be employed to explain the relationship between religiosity and poverty. Paradoxically to the one-size fits all approach Marx takes within the statement, he also confines religion to mirroring a depressant drug. When in actuality,
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Religious extremist groups clearly demonstrate that religion does not always equate to inaction and illustrates a key flaw in Marx statement. Karl Marx failed to accurately describe the role of religion in people’s lives through overgeneralization and constriction. However, he succeeded to describe the effect religion can have in peoples lives by comparing it to illicit substances. Had Marx proclaimed, “religion can mirror the symptoms associated with substance use in some people” he would have correctly described religion. Alas, the original quotation is extremely flawed and overall, erroneous.
Despite blatantly failing to recognize that religion can have a diverse presence in the lives of different people, the confining Marxist quote does possess merit and should not be dismissed entirely. The rendering of religion as mirroring the anesthetizing-like effect of opium can be applied as a possible explanation as to why the poorest nations in the world are also the most religious. The findings from the 2009 Gallup analysis …show more content…
Marx failed to acknowledge that religion isn’t restricted to just making people remain impartial to altering their circumstances; it can also motivate them into enacting change. Therefore, while it can be showed that religion can mirror the effects of a depressant drug, it must also be recognised that religion is able to draw parallels with a stimulant drug. The actions of extremist religious groups, such as the Westboro Baptist Church and al-Qaeda, that stem directly from their religious ideologies can be said to be the methamphetamine, an extremely powerful and potent stimulant, of the people. The driving force behind religious extremist and supremacist groups engagement is the religious beliefs themselves. Therefore, if religion is compelling people into action rather than helping them remain passive, it is clear that Marx’s opium statement cannot be generalized to apply to
Religious extremist groups clearly demonstrate that religion does not always equate to inaction and illustrates a key flaw in Marx statement. Karl Marx failed to accurately describe the role of religion in people’s lives through overgeneralization and constriction. However, he succeeded to describe the effect religion can have in peoples lives by comparing it to illicit substances. Had Marx proclaimed, “religion can mirror the symptoms associated with substance use in some people” he would have correctly described religion. Alas, the original quotation is extremely flawed and overall, erroneous.
Despite blatantly failing to recognize that religion can have a diverse presence in the lives of different people, the confining Marxist quote does possess merit and should not be dismissed entirely. The rendering of religion as mirroring the anesthetizing-like effect of opium can be applied as a possible explanation as to why the poorest nations in the world are also the most religious. The findings from the 2009 Gallup analysis …show more content…
Marx failed to acknowledge that religion isn’t restricted to just making people remain impartial to altering their circumstances; it can also motivate them into enacting change. Therefore, while it can be showed that religion can mirror the effects of a depressant drug, it must also be recognised that religion is able to draw parallels with a stimulant drug. The actions of extremist religious groups, such as the Westboro Baptist Church and al-Qaeda, that stem directly from their religious ideologies can be said to be the methamphetamine, an extremely powerful and potent stimulant, of the people. The driving force behind religious extremist and supremacist groups engagement is the religious beliefs themselves. Therefore, if religion is compelling people into action rather than helping them remain passive, it is clear that Marx’s opium statement cannot be generalized to apply to