Marxism and Religion
Throughout Karl Marx’s life he was not thought to be anything special, just a regular working man, but in reality Marx was a “philosopher, a journalist, an economist, a historian, and a moralist.”[1] Even with all of this hard work most people did not think that he would amount to much. Little did most of the people who lived during Marx’s lifetime know how big of an impact he would have on the world within the next century.
Karl Marx, the philosopher, had to have one of the biggest impacts on the world to this day. Marx’s most well known following came from the Communist nation the Soviet Union. The Soviets believed in all of his philosophical writing and thoughts of religion. Not only did people back then believe him, but also his teachings are studied and followed by many people today. Karl Marx’s basic idea of religion is that there is “no need to deal extensively with religious phenomena.”[2] Karl Marx felt that there was nothing to be “distinguished between religious belief and superstition.”[3] In Marx’s writings and teaching he has a sort of war with different religions who disagree with his teachings. In Marxist teaching there are many levels in which debate occurs between Marxism and religion, such as, individually, within the family atmosphere, and in society at a national and international level.
At an individual level there are many arguments that Marxism has for religion and vice versa. A very dominant principle of Marxism is that “the Communist can recognize no religion except his anti-religious doctrine.”[4] Any religion would recognize this to be one of the most offensive statements ever. It is obvious for anyone to see right away why ...
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...d most, if not all, religious beliefs are not harmonious with the Marxist science.[13] Also, there are many different problems that occur within the different levels that have been discussed here. The major problem that religious believers have with Marxists is the Marxist idea that Communism is above God. There is not now, nor will any religion ever bow down to a government, because of their strong belief of God as a Supreme Being. While there are a few goals of Marxism and religion that are the same there is no way in which one has room for the other, because of the means of attaining these goals are so different. Marxism and religion will always have to be separate because they both have such strong ideas that they will not let go of and different ways of attaining their goals, but they will both continue to exist because of the varied beliefs of individuals.
The fear of early twentieth century dystopian writers is the fear that people in general had in this era; what is the impact of communism or what the future of religion with evolution and Darwinism would be. The may concern was that if religion was obsolete, what would replace it as the moral compass of the people. One of the most important individuals of the early twentieth century Karl Marx had his own philosophy for a replacement. The role of religion in Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto is stated as,” But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis…’" (Marx 19) That new bases he mentioned in the quote is the state, the new morale code that society must follow.
First, I want to identify who Marx and Nietzsche are and their critiques on religion. Karl
Berlinski opens up by giving an introduction to the scientism of the new atheists and presents his own critique on a common slogan of the party: religion as a primary cause of evil in the world. Berlinski explains that the issues atheism has caused in the world cannot be ignored. Fundamentally because what atheistic regimes did not believe is more important than what they did believe in. Therefore, this is the real cause of many twentieth century problems. Berlinski explains: “What Hitler did not believe and what Stalin did not believe and what Mao did not believe and what the SS did not believe and what the Gestapo did not believe and what the NKVD did not believe and what the commissars, functionaries, swaggering executioners, Nazi doctors, Communist Party theoreticians, intellectuals, Brown Shirts, Black Shirts, gauleiters, and a thousand party hacks di...
Karl Marx 's writing of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ in 1848 has been documented by a vast number of academics as one of the most influential pieces of political texts written in the modern era. Its ideologically driven ideas formed the solid foundation of the Communist movement throughout the 20th century, offering a greater alternative for those who were rapidly becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the growing wealth and social divisions created by capitalism. A feeling not just felt in by a couple of individuals in one society, but a feeling that was spreading throughout various societies worldwide. As Toma highlights in his work, Marx felt that ‘capitalism would produce a crisis-ridden, polarized society destined to be taken over by
Nevertheless, Marx's atheism survived today. We all know that such abuse of religion that Marx criticized really exist. But if there is a genuine religion in practice implemented the doctrine that God has revealed, then Marx's critique does not stand.
"Karl Marx on Religion: The Opiate of the Masses?" About.com Agnosticism / Atheism. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Marx saw religion as a tool for class oppression because of the conflict it provided for societies. According to Marx, “religion is the opium of the people” and “religion promotes stratification because it supports a hierarchy of people in Earth and the subordination of humankind to divine authority.” Marx believes that man makes religion, and not vice versa. He argues that religion is a mere product of man and is for people who have not won himself or has lost himself again. He calls for the banishment of religion stating that religion is just an illusion of happiness and the abolition of it is a demand for real happiness. Religion highlights social conditions and causes people to think and act the way religion teaches instead of having individuals act based on their own agency.
To conclude, the ideology of Marxism makes sense and is a major concept but history has disapproves this theory. The confusion
Where does religion come from? Many have tried to answer this question, only leaving us with more questions than answers. This essay will focus on two philosophers David Hume and Karl Marx both has strong critiques on the existence of God. Both going against the design argument, the design argument is the argument for the existence of God or single creator; however, with Hume’s empiricist and Marx's atheist they both attack the design argument in different ways, ultimately coming to the same conclusion and that is there is no God.
Whether one thinks that the ideas of communism are good or bad, by taking a look a today’s society, we can certainly see the affect The Communist Manifesto and other books of its kind have had. Karl Marx’s ideas have shaped many programs and organizations to attempt following along the lines of equality.
One of the greatest debates of all time has been regarding the issue of the freedom of mankind. The one determining factor, for Marx, it that freedom is linked with class conflict. As a historian, Karl Marx traced the history of mankind by the ways in which the economy operated and the role of classes within the economy. For Marx, the biggest question that needed to be answered was “Who owns freedom?” With this in mind, Marx gives us a solution to both the issues of freedom and class conflict in his critique of capitalism and theory of communism, which is the ideal society for Marx. His theory of communism is based on the “ultimate end of human history” because there will be freedom for all humankind. Marx saw communism as the ideal society because it is "the genuine resolution of the conflict between man and man- the true resolution of the strife between existence and essence...between freedom and necessity" that capitalism fosters. Marx was also committed to the notion that theory and action go hand in hand. Marx dismissed earlier thinkers because they (philosophers) "have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." He also stated "Ideas cannot carry out anything at all. In order to carry out ideas men are needed who can exert practical force". However, Marx would have been appalled by the way his theory of communism was misused. It can be said, though, that Marx's theory of communism was clearly open for interpretation because he failed to offer "principles or guidelines of even the most general kind" for how the system of communism was to be fully established. It was this opportunity for interpretation that made Marx's theory of communism doomed for failure when it was used in practice.
This book contains a basic yet earnest truth. This world requires Marx now like never before. This thin volume ought to help to arm another era of socialists with the thoughts important to win the fights ahead. At exactly that point will we all be able to appreciate an all-around progressive
Marx saw religion as an evil that existed in society and that it brought down all the people that believed in that religion. Marx said that, ?It [religion] is the opium of the people,?[1] and in saying this, Marx meant that religion was contagious on society. Once the society had a taste for the religion, they became totally engulfed it in, and then they do not want to get out of that way of live because they see it as a good way to live. Then even if people wanted to get out of the religion it was hard to get out because the whole society had already been infected by the ?opium.?
As a German philosopher, a politician, and an important figure within the Communist League, Karl Heinrich Marx birthed a new way of looking at things through his beliefs, ideas, and writings. Karl Marx was considered to be “…certainly one of the most important minds of modern times”(1). He wanted to know more about philosophy, so that he might understand the political and social system better.
He is known worldwide for his numerous theories and ideas in regards to society, economics and politics. His outlook on these subjects is known as Marxism. Marxism focuses on the imbalance and struggle between classes and society. Marx’s theories stem from the concept of materialism based society and the implications thereof. These concepts leads to the Marxist theory of the failure of capitalism. Marx had a number of specific reasons for the downfall of capitalism yet capitalism remains very real and successful. Marxism covers a wide range of topics and theories, but an in depth analysis of his criticism to capitalism and how it is not relevant to modern day will be explored.