Marxist theories of religion

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What is Marxists overall view of religon?
Religon performs postive functions for campitalism. It's part of the superstructure and justifies and reporduces class inequality. In classless society religon will disappear.
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Whats Marx (1885) overall view of religon ?
Religon is apart of the superstructure of capitalism and benefits capitalism through it's power as an ideology
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What 2 ways Marx calimed religon maintained capitalism?
1. It legitimised and maintained the power of R/C by suggesting inequality is is god given and thus, unchangable
2. It teaches the poor that their posverty is a test from God and will be compensated in the afterlife if they accept their lack of power
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Provide an example (Hartley)
18th/19th C. Methodists leaders would preach to factory workers and encourage them to become members. Thus, instead of protesting their anger at working conditions they found a new way to vent their frustrations while still doing work.
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Provide a Criticism for Marx's 2 ways?
Religion doesn't always effectively control the masses. Neo-Marxists see it as assisting social change eg. Weber and Calvinists
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What did Marx mean when he said religion is an opium of the masses ?
Religion acts as a hallucinatory pain relieving drug that makes life more bearable. dulls the pain of exploitation for W/C. Only dulls the pain rather than treat it
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What did Lenin mean by religion 'is a spiritual gin'?
R/C uses religion to manipulate the W/C by creating s fog that obscures reality.
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Provide a criticism for religion as an opium
The UK now experiencing secularisation so religion no longer had institutional power as most of its functions are now provided by the state. So religion cannot be an opium if no one belives in it
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How did Marx argue religon helped overcome the effects of Alienation(w/c being separated from the things they made in the workplace)?
Religion provides them with some control, purpose, or meaning in their lives. Social stability
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Who rejects the concept of alienation as unscientific and based on the idea human beings have a true self
Althusser
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Religion dulling the pain
Marxist approach suggests that religion eases or dulls the pain of oppression, exploitation and alienation in four ways
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Promises rewards in the afterlife
promises 'life after death' stopping W/C from rebellion because they are encouraged to endure their oppression for rewards in the afterlife
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Provide an example for promised rewards in the afterlife
Doomsday sects promise a place in the afterlife
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Offers hope of supernatural intervention
Put their faith in God to solve inequalities rather then revolt
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provide examples for offers hope of supernatural intervention
eg. Jehovah's Witnesses - supernatural powers will descend and create heaven on earth
eg. Christainity
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It makes suffering a virtue
Religion makes W/C poverty more tolerable by offering rewards and promising compensation
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Provide an example for it makes suffering a virtue
Hindu caste system - born into caste - bottom called uncastables
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It justfies social order and inequailty
Religion justifies the power of R/C because it makes it seem their power and position was divinely ordained and thus, inevitable making W/C accept their position
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Provide an example for It justifies social order and inequality
The Divine right of kings
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Provide a criticism for religion dulling the pain
Sociologists question the influence of religion on the W/C and their exploitation because of secularisation. Less than 10% of the UK attend church regularly
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How did slavery (slave trade in the west) support the Marxist view?
Salves taught their ineqailities were god given - alot of pro-slaverly in the old testament
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How did the Hindu Caste system support the Marxist view?
Justifies ineqaulties by saying its fair and unchangable. That suffering is virtuous. Reglion acts as a conservstive force
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How does the new Christian rights support the Marxist view ?
Further, the R/C riches by supporting low taxes for the rich so maintains their power.
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provide a criticism for the Marxist view
Marx only focuses on one role of religion and ignores other
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Provide another criticism for the Marxist view
Marx predicted religion wouldn't exist in a communist society but destroying religion in communist societies were unsuccessful eg. USSR religion carried on, Communist Poland was very Catholic and it predicted China will become the most Christian nation by
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What do functionalists argue Marxists ignore?
The positive roles of religion for both society and the indivdual
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Provide a criticism from feminists
Reninfoces patriarchal values not capitalist ones
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Card 2

Front

Whats Marx (1885) overall view of religon ?

Back

Religon is apart of the superstructure of capitalism and benefits capitalism through it's power as an ideology

Card 3

Front

What 2 ways Marx calimed religon maintained capitalism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Provide an example (Hartley)

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Provide a Criticism for Marx's 2 ways?

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