Karl Marx and Religion

DAILY BYTE

Karl Marx is fixed in most people’s minds for his famous quote that “religion is the opiate of the masses”. Basically, Marx was saying that religion creates illusory fantasies for people, especially, he believed, the poor: That the economic realities of the poor prevent them from finding true happiness in this life, and so religion plays the role of convincing them this was ok because they would be assured of happiness in another life to come.

So like opium, religion only serves to dull and drug people. And of course we should not forget that an opiate drug fails to actually heal an injury, it merely helps one to forget the pain and suffering. Similarly, Marx (and let it be said many, many others), believe religion does not fix the underlying causes of people’s suffering, instead it only helps people forget why they are suffering and gets them to look forward to an imaginary future when all pain would cease.

Frankly, Marx has a valid point.

Religion, with Christianity among them, HAS often done this. Throughout the history of the church, we have a times taught a version of Christianity that is very pie-in-the-sky, and tending to be escapist, unreal and irrelevant. BUT (and this is a very big but), this is NOT the faith the Bible teaches! No, the faith that Jesus lived, died for and lived for again is meant to awaken us to life as it really is – to sharpen our senses, to help us feel more not less, to love more, to be more.

The faith Jesus brought is meant to resurrect us.

There is nothing more alive and real than God! Jesus, for example, when he walked on earth became hungry, thirsty, angry, tearful, afraid and sad. We may want to use religion to escape life’s tougher realities, but Jesus knew nothing of that.

We may want to use religion to hide behind, as a way of pretending that our own uglier realities are not really there, but the faith the Bible reveals knows nothing of that. For the danger is when we allow our faith to become all pie-in-the-sky, then it becomes nothing more than hollow sentimentality, pious masquerades and dangerous falsities.

And we become less real in the process.

In what ways might Christ be challenging you to be more real about your faith? In what ways might your faith be awakening you to more of life?

PRAY AS YOU GO

God of Life, I ask that you would resurrect me daily. Awaken me to my life as it really is, expose me where I am being false and deceitful. Help to live both freely and fully in the grace of your healing truth. Amen.

FOCUS READING

John 4: 23-24 (MSG)

It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.