...........Karl Marx was a philosopher from the 19th century who had strong feelings about his criticism on religion and the human race. He believed that religion was an illusion that humans made up and depended on. Marx wrote, “religion was the opium of the people.” Religion is portrayed to be negative and that it was not in mans best interest. Marx felt that religion was a sign of weakness. The contention of this paper is that in some sense Marx was correct, in that religion is a false concept, containing many illusions, myths and stories. Nonetheless, this weakness is a reality for humans, and religion is needed to help out with issues of life, death, misery, and the unknown.
...........Marx was correct to a certain extent in many ways. It is true that religion is this man made concept. For a person to have faith in religion it requires them to give up reality. Humans need to accept the myths and illusions, in order to have faith in religion. Marx feels as if “religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real, suffering.” People may indeed turn to religion as an escape from the sufferings of real life. Marx states that religion is created “as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.” Men and women often want to perceive themselves as happy and safe, so they created religion as a “halo,” something that would always be there for protection.
...........Marx’s ideas were in many ways accurate, but his negative connotation is incorrect. Although religion requires a human to have faith in something and give up some concepts of reality, there are social, educational, behavioral, moral and ethical benefits. Religion also gives the human race allusions and myths to explain the unknown. In this sense religion may help people not as an “opiate” but as a “medicine.” Religion can be a crutch for the ones that need it, and whether a person is seeking out help or not, religion remains a constant in peoples lives. It brings families together in one place (house of worship) allowing for a sense of security. Religion helps form relationships within the community. Religion can be a place for people if they have nowhere else to turn. Education of ethics, morals, and appropriate behaviors are often taught in religious school. Religious teachings often help people to live each day with a better understanding of their purpose in life.
...........Marx was correct to a certain extent in many ways. It is true that religion is this man made concept. For a person to have faith in religion it requires them to give up reality. Humans need to accept the myths and illusions, in order to have faith in religion. Marx feels as if “religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real, suffering.” People may indeed turn to religion as an escape from the sufferings of real life. Marx states that religion is created “as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.” Men and women often want to perceive themselves as happy and safe, so they created religion as a “halo,” something that would always be there for protection.
...........Marx’s ideas were in many ways accurate, but his negative connotation is incorrect. Although religion requires a human to have faith in something and give up some concepts of reality, there are social, educational, behavioral, moral and ethical benefits. Religion also gives the human race allusions and myths to explain the unknown. In this sense religion may help people not as an “opiate” but as a “medicine.” Religion can be a crutch for the ones that need it, and whether a person is seeking out help or not, religion remains a constant in peoples lives. It brings families together in one place (house of worship) allowing for a sense of security. Religion helps form relationships within the community. Religion can be a place for people if they have nowhere else to turn. Education of ethics, morals, and appropriate behaviors are often taught in religious school. Religious teachings often help people to live each day with a better understanding of their purpose in life.
...........Therefore one might conclude that, yes, Marx was right about religion being a sign of weakness, but that it is okay. Religion is widely accepted around the world and is often used to help patch the imperfections that exist in all of us.
1 comment:
Although Marx does believe that religion was an illusion that humans made up, I don't believe that religion is a false concept. Yes there are many myths, and believes in higher powers, spirits and demons, but to those who believe in a certain religion or concept it is not false. While religion might be a weakness to Marx because he believes humans rely on it to escape from their problems, I think it is a weakness in a different sense. I believe that religion can be considered a weakenss because it causes so much conflict in the world. I like the way you looked at this article Alex!
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