ovde - vera znanje mir

o Gives little consideration to hostility between religious groups in
the same society
o Conflict sociologists would argue that there is no consensus in
society - 'core values' are imposed by a ruling class
Marxist
o Want exploitation & alienation to be things of the past
o Production should be communally owned - no social classes
o People should fulfil & control their own destinies & work together
for the common good
o An illusion which eases the pain produced by oppression &
exploitation - distortion of reality
o Religion fulfils a number of functions for a ruling class - forms
part of the system of social control which keeps subordinate classes
in their place - justifies social inequality & offers the prospect of
a better life hereafter (if they don't challenge the existing social
order)
o Religion is a money making scheme
o Makes w/c stay w/c & low in society
o W/c are meant to respect the people that exploit them
Opium of the people
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature" Marx (1963)
o Religion dulls the pain produced by oppression & makes life more
bearable
o It 'drugs' those who occupied lowly places in society by offering
what Marx saw as the illusion of happiness after death
o It helps the poor to accept their position, helping them deal to
deal with the present life
o Also serves the interests of ruling class because those who accept
existing inequality in the hope of better things to come are less
likely to challenge the status quo
o Lenin "Religion is a kind of spiritual gin in which the slaves of
capital drown their human shape & their claims to any decent life"
o It dulls the pain by:
1. Promising paradise - eternal bliss in after life. Christian view of
heaven makes life on earth more bearable; something to look forward to
2. Some religions make a virtue of the suffering produced by
oppression. Makes poverty more tolerable by offering rewards for
suffering and compensation for injustice