He was making the claim that religion is a structure people build to calm uncertainty over their role in society and the universe at large. In his view, religion may be false, but it is a function of something real. It functions the way opium does in a sick person by easing their troubles without actually addressing the root cause and fixing it, making it counter to the goals of revolution.
It is a state of, fake thought? Synthetic understanding? False coincidence?
You can still be religious and be socialist, but you can't use your religion outside your personal life or use it as a tool for understanding the conditions of the working class under capitalism. Otherwise you just get weird protestant work ethic shit tied to a romanticized ideal of the worker.
I guess it's kinda like personal property and private property.
This is where liberation theologists break with Marx. Yes, it can be used as an opiate, but synthesised with a proper understanding of Historical Materialism, it can also be a great driver against oppression. Jesus came bearing a sword, after all.
you can’t use your religion outside your personal life or use it as a tool for understanding the conditions of the working class under capitalism. Otherwise you just get weird protestant work ethic shit
Hard disagree. You wind up with prosperity gospel shit when you value capitalism more than your faith.
If you're going to be against religion for it being a distraction from poor conditions you should be equally against alcohol, drugs, video games, escapist media etc
Absolutely none of those things are as deeply intertwined with capitalist power structures and ideology as religion is. A sober analysis of religion's function in our current, actual society shows it to politically be a rallying cry of violent oppression and culturally to be the great bastion of reaction. No one is using their belief in video games to throw their children out onto the streets. No one is rallying support for their anti-abortion laws because the masses support them due to a pro-life brand of alcohol.
He was making the claim that religion is a structure people build to calm uncertainty over their role in society and the universe at large. In his view, religion may be false, but it is a function of something real. It functions the way opium does in a sick person by easing their troubles without actually addressing the root cause and fixing it, making it counter to the goals of revolution.
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It is a state of, fake thought? Synthetic understanding? False coincidence?
You can still be religious and be socialist, but you can't use your religion outside your personal life or use it as a tool for understanding the conditions of the working class under capitalism. Otherwise you just get weird protestant work ethic shit tied to a romanticized ideal of the worker.
I guess it's kinda like personal property and private property.
This is where liberation theologists break with Marx. Yes, it can be used as an opiate, but synthesised with a proper understanding of Historical Materialism, it can also be a great driver against oppression. Jesus came bearing a sword, after all.
Hard disagree. You wind up with prosperity gospel shit when you value capitalism more than your faith.
How is that contradictory to what I said?
there is genuinely useful information in the Bible about how to combine theory and Praxis.
If you're going to be against religion for it being a distraction from poor conditions you should be equally against alcohol, drugs, video games, escapist media etc
Absolutely none of those things are as deeply intertwined with capitalist power structures and ideology as religion is. A sober analysis of religion's function in our current, actual society shows it to politically be a rallying cry of violent oppression and culturally to be the great bastion of reaction. No one is using their belief in video games to throw their children out onto the streets. No one is rallying support for their anti-abortion laws because the masses support them due to a pro-life brand of alcohol.
alcohol was however a key part of the British colonial process