Karl Marx

Religion is ideology, alienation

and opium of the people
Ref. The Truth of the Human Condition
 Idea of the Divine Right
(Absolutism)
Religion legitimates the power and privilege of the dominate
class by making their position appear to be divinely ordained.

For example, the 16th century idea of the Divine Right of the Kings
was the belief that that the king is Gods representative on earth
and is owed total obedience to Gods authority.
 Marxs theory of religion needs
to be seen in the context of his
general view of society,
capitalism dominates the
working class (Proletariat).
 Religion as Ideology
Ideology is a belief system that distorts peoples
perception of reality in ways that serve the interests
of the ruling class.

Whichever class controls the economic production

also controls the production and distribution of ideas
in society via institutions such as church, education
system and the media.
 Ideological Weapon
Religion is an ideological weapon according to Marx.
Used by ruling class to legitimate (justify) the
suffering of the poor as something inevitable and
god-given.
Religion misleads poor into believing that
suffering is virtuous and that they will be
favoured in the afterlife.
Example: It is easier for a camel to pass through the
eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter
heaven.
Religion as Alienation
Religion
is an illusion with evil
consequences.
Itis used by the oppressors to keep things
as they are.
Religion is determined by economics and
therefore has to be considered along with
economics.
Man makes religion and it alienates.
 Religion is used for control
The specific form religion takes depends on "the shape
of social life as determined by the material forces in
control of it any given place and time. Marx asserts
that belief in a god or gods is an unhappy by product of
the class struggle, something that should not only be
dismissed, but dismissed with scorn.
Marx on religion

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature,

the sentiments of a heartless world and the
soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of
the people
Religion is like a drug that soothes pain
of exploitation and distorts reality
It makes life bearable and prevents
revolution
It masks the problem of exploitation
rather than treating the cause.
 Marx shows how religion may be a tool of oppression
that masks exploitation and creates a false
consciousness. However, he ignores positive functions
of religion e.g. psychological adjustment to misfortune.
Neo- Marxists see certain forms of religion as assisting
not hindering the development of class consciousness.
Some Marxists such as Althusser reject the concept of
alienation as unscientific and based on a romantic idea
that human beings have a true self. This would make
the concept an inadequate basis for a theory of
religion.
Religion does not necessarily function effectively as an
ideology to control the population. For example,
Abercrombie and Turner argue that in pre-capitalist
society, while Christianity was a major element of
ruling class ideology, it had only limited impact on the
peasantry.