marxist theory of religion

Question 1

what did marx argue?

Answer 1

• god is active (social construct) to maintain captialism
• religion is a conservative force designed to prevent change

Question 2

two main functions of religion according to marx?

Answer 2

1. opium of the people
2. 3 ways religion eases pain of oppression

Question 3

what is opium of people?

Answer 3

where religion acts like a hallucinating, pain-relieving drug creating illusions among the oppressed to maintain power of the dominant class. it legitimises capitalist ideology

Question 4

what are the 3 ways that religion ‘eases pain of oppressed’?

Answer 4

1- promises eventual escape from suffering, promise of afterlife eg poverty is test of faith
2- hope of supernatural intervention to solve problems eg Jahova’s witness
3- provide religious explanations/ justifications for inequality

Question 5

Lenin

Answer 5

• religion distracts the proletariat
• religion is spiritual gin- slaves of capitalism drown human shape of decent life
• ruling class uses religion to manipulate so not overthrown using mystical fog to distort reality

Question 6

Turner

Answer 6

Neo-marxist
- capitalism has more control over us than religion eg police (economic + repressive control)
- nature of capitalism changed- we could identify those exploiting but now business corporations dominant capitalism
- state may not have had as much power as Marx thought because many proletariat werent practicing Anglican Faith

Question 7

Marcuse

Answer 7

Neo-Marxist
- gods of consumerism replaced religious gods
- we are obsessed with buying new products, we are hungry for consumer goods so older religions cease to exist eg malls paralleling cathedrals- COMMODITY FETISHISM
- through media new religon stop wc realising exploitative nature of capitalism

Question 8

Maduro

Answer 8

challenges traditional marxism- religion causing revolution, can religion be used to free proletariat from exploitation?

Question 9

liberation theology

Answer 9

justification for liberation of oppressed people, criticises view that first world could end poverty.

Question 10

examples of liberation theology

Answer 10

1. Gandhi
2. Father Camilo Torres- lots of Columbians were poor so had a Christian revolution