Marxism

Question 1

What does Karl Marx believe about religion?

Answer 1

The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion

Question 2

Marx’s stance on religion?

Answer 2

Was an atheist rejecting the church in 19th century arguing that religion is a social construction to maintain capatalism
It’s a conservative force designed to prevent social change

Question 3

Marx- What are the two main functions of religion?

Answer 3

-Acts as the opium of the people cushioning the pain, oppression and exploitation of unequal society
-Legitimizes and maintains the power of the ruling class

Question 4

Marx- What does ‘the opium of the people’ mean?

Answer 4

Religion acts as a pain relieving drugs maintaining the power of the ruiling class
Easing the pain produced by poverty helping the pain of alienation

Question 5

Marx- what are the 3 ways religion eases the pain of oppression?

Answer 5

Afterlife/salvation
Supernatural intervention
Justification of inequality/higherarchy

Question 6

Marx- what are the 3 ways religion eases the pain of oppression, afterlife and salvation?

Answer 6

Promising an escape from suffering by heaven if people believe its gods plan they are more likely to accept pain not overcome it
E.g. Christian’s ‘meek shall be promised the earth’

Question 7

Marx- what are the 3 ways religion eases the pain of oppression, supernatural intervention?

Answer 7

Hope of supernatural intervention to solve our problems
Jehovas Whitness believe god will take down the wicked on earth in the battle of Armageddon (fight between god and satan)
They will be taken back to earth being provided with a new paradise on earth
Helping accept position

Question 8

Marx- what are the 3 ways religion eases the pain of oppression, justification of inequality/higherarchy?

Answer 8

It justified inequality’s
Hinduism justifies the inequality’s of the Indian caste system
Where there are strict rules on how people should live, eat or dress
If you follow the rule you will be reincarnated but if you disobey you’ll be reborn at a lower level
Although there’s been attempts to abolish this it hasn’t been successful due to religious significance

Question 9

Marx- If we had a communist society would religion be present?

Answer 9

No

Question 10

Lenin- agreement with Marx?

Answer 10

Agrees that religion is used to distract the proletariat and has similar ideas to Marx’s opium of the people

Question 11

Lenin- spiritual gin?

Answer 11

Religion is a spiritual gin in which slaves of capital drown their human shape and their claims to any decent life

Question 12

Lenin- mystical fog?

Answer 12

The ruling class uses religion to manipulate the masses keeping them from attempting to overthrow their oppressors by creating a mystical for distorting reality

Question 13

Althusser- how is religion used as an ideological state apparatus?

Answer 13

Manipulate the w/c to accept higherarchy, obedience to authority (god and priests)

Question 14

Althusser- repressive state apparatus?

Answer 14

Rules religion has about clothing and abortion laws
Not eating certain foods
Country’s were religion in law e.g. jail for blasphemy

Question 15

Supporting evidence?

Answer 15

Crowing of the monarch in church
Justification of slavery
Hindu caste system

Question 16

Supporting evidence- crowing of monarch in church?

Answer 16

Arch bishops of cantunbry in west minster church
Supports Marxism as it reinforces the idea that their is a higherarchy giving certain people power
Religion given ultimate power

Question 17

Supporting evidence- Justification of slavery?

Answer 17

Christian slave owner said slaves don’t have Christianity in life they are savaged so better that’s why they could own states
Justifying ultimate power therefore supporting capatalism

Question 18

Case study- Hindu caste system?

Answer 18

No point in achieving social mobility, you will get rewarded into the next life if you put up with the suffering and inequality’s you face

Question 19

Challenges against Marxism?

Answer 19

-Communist society is the state in charge but then the state is powerful being so then therefore they are a higher power
-Religions personal to everyone
-In communism, china has a rise of Christianity as they are relished American who have Christianity has more successful economy

Question 20

Examples of neo marxists?

Answer 20

Turner
Marcuse

Question 21

Turner- economic and repressive control?

Answer 21

The idea of taking away someone’s wedges and threat of prison (repressive) economic control is much more powerful than the threat of not going to heaven

Question 22

Turner- Has the nature of capatalism changed?

Answer 22

Workers working for business can become shareholders so if the business does well shareholders who can be proletariat can also do well so rejecting the idea that religion controls the prolatariet

Question 23

Turner- why does religion not have as much power as Marx believes?

Answer 23

They don have as much power as they say they do
Peasant may practice paganism at the time and not believe in Christianity so it contradicts when it was relevant not having the ideological power if it wasn’t even followed

Question 24

Marcuse- beliefs?

Answer 24

God of consumerism replacing religious gods
Commodity fetishism os the idea we are obsessed with but in new products

Question 25

Marcuse- How is consumerism a new religion?

Answer 25

By shopping center cathedrals of consumerism buying things to make us feel better becoming a new religion
God of consumerism maintaining capatalism
E.g. Apple technology followers idolize Steve Jobs as the would goof, believe there technology benefits them like say a religion would