Marxist Perspective Of Religion Should Not Come As Much Of A Surprise

Theorizing Religion

The Marxist perspective of religion should not come as much of a surprise. Marx places an emphasis on class conflict and the economy being the heartbeat of social organizations, relations, and institutions. His beliefs on religion follow this same premise. Oftentimes referring to religion as “opium of the people”, Marx viewed religion as a product of the oppressed, working class and as a distraction from the truthful maladies of a capitalist society. In other words, religion was yet another tool utilized by the powerful elite to maintain their positions of control. By “enchanting” the masses with the messages and teachings of religion, the status quo is thus preserved. The power that religion has to discourage social change is why Marx sees it as a power play by those who control the relations of production.

They define churches as organizations that play a fundamental role in the organization and values within a society. It is evident that whether for better or for worse, churches have been a predominant force in shaping history as we know it. Churches have been, and will continue to be, a momentous force in the social organization of various religions, as well as countries as a whole. Denominations are a subcategory of a church. They are defined as being a voluntary subgroup of a church, and oftentimes share more specific traditions and identity indicators. An example of a denomination is Catholicism to Christianity. When discussing sects, these are a further break-away of a church. According to Bryan Wilson, a sect is a religious group that does not accept its environment. As for a cult, this is defined as a completely separate entity, an entirely new religious movement. Some of the cults of interest to Stark and Bainbridge include psychedelic cults, satanic cults, the Jesus People, and