The Opium of the People

“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Karl Marx, who wrote this, has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history and one of the principle architects of modern science. it is often quoted to show the Marx [and communism] were enemies of organized religion. But I don’t necessarily agree with that.

For those on this planet who experience their world as heartless and oppressive, religion often eases that burden. If we see religion as a human construct whose original purpose is to explain that sense of the other, to explain why we are here, then it makes sense that it is 'the opium of the people'. Religion gives people hope and we all need that hope in order to survive. For some (actually for most), that hope for something better doesn't seem to exist in this life, and so they believe in a better life after death.... and this belief helps them survive in the here and now.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to live a middle-class or better life, our hope can be different. We can hope for the alleviation of poverty and a more just distribution of resources to all. The problem comes with those who can't make the leap from an individualistic faith the a global one. Is one more mature than the other? Not necessarily- it depends on circumstances. People with little or nothing, who believe in the afterlife, can still work to improve the conditions of those around them. If a belief in the afterlife helps them survive, so be it.

It seems to me that one of the problems with religion is the tendency to say 'one size fits all' which is what both the fundamentalist and the progressives do. When in fact, that is not true. Never has been. Never will be.

But the hope that comes with religion is something that everyone needs, a hope that we can have some control over. Whether it is a hope for an afterlife that we ensure by how we live today or the hope of bringing about God’s Kingdom here on earth by what we do to help others, it is what drives us on toward that unknown future.

Rubem Alves, a Brazilian theologian, said "Hope is hearing the music of the future. Faith is to dance to it."

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NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

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