How does Marxism view Religion?

Timestamps:
1:03 Was religion invented to control people?
5:17 How did religion emerge? How did it evolve?
16:40 Different classes see religion differently
19:01 How will religion disappear?
23:41 How should communists act towards religious people?

I would have discussed the policies of Socialist governments towards religion but the video would've simply gotten too long. I will discuss that topic in a future episode in my series on the Hungarian People's Republic.

SOURCES:

Engels, Anti-Dühring, Part III, Chap. V

Marx, Capital vol. I, Chap. 1, Section 4

Engels, On the History of Early Christianity

Engels, The Peasant War in Germany

Lenin, On the Significance of Militant Materialism

Lenin, Religion

Marx and Engels, On Religion

Lenin, On the Question of Dialectics

Lenin, Materialism and Empirio-Criticism

E. Nevalainen, Marxilaisuus ja uskonto [Marxism and religion]

T. Lehen, Kommunismi ja kristinusko [Communism and Christianity]

J. Kosminski, Keskiajan historia [History of the middle ages]

A Text Book Of Marxist Philosophy by John Lewis

Political Economy: A Textbook issued by the Economics Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R

Articles on "judaism", "christianity", "islam", "protestantism" and "catholicism" in Kratkiy filosofskiy slovar [Short philosophical dictionary, 1954, ed. P. Yudin & M. Rosenthal]

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[thefinnishbolshevik]

*Timestamps:*
1:03 Was religion invented to control people?
5:17 How did religion emerge? How did it evolve?
16:40 Different classes see religion differently
19:01 How will religion disappear?
23:41 How should communists act towards religious people?

I would have discussed the policies of Socialist governments towards religion but the video would've simply gotten too long. I will discuss that topic in a future episode in my series on the Hungarian People's Republic.

[someesingh]

"People won't believe in superstitions about 'how the world works' when they fully understand it..."
Legendary quote 👌

[anglo-irishbolshevik]

When I was a little kid my Irish Catholic Mum said something to me, which at the time seemed amazing, as we left the church. She said she didn't like the way the mass had been anglicised - previously it had been completely in Latin. In other words now it had been made easier to understand the magic had disappeared for her. Later on when I was about 14 I stopped going to church. I went to a non-catholic school (because my Dad was a non-catholic) so most of my friends were non-catholic. I had been semi-brainwashed into believing that if I didn't go to Church then I wouldn't go to Heaven. As most of friends didn't go to Church I figured that I might end up in Heaven with a bunch of strangers and none of my friends - I didn't fancy that! You could say I was starting to see the light.

[someesingh]

I agree with you comrade. Religion alone can never "control" people. No human society in existence ever depicts a ruling class relying purely on religion.
In fact we do see practice of some form of religious practice in primitive communism.

[BasedGodFlashy]

Great video comrade especially the part where you talk about how religion will disappear. Always dropping bangers.

[sinthoras]

Congratulations to 40 000 subscribers!

[sowietnkvd]

religion isnt the problem, its organized religion

[GalaxiaTokyo]

As a Christian, it seems to me that the big issue here is the idea that in order to engage with some aspect of Marxism, you need to accept the whole package of everything Marx ever believed. Of course, if you compare philosophies through the lenses of strict orthodoxy, any philosophy is gonna be incompatible with everything but itself. But in practical terms, that is not how most people act. For example, it isn't contradictory for a religious person, who thinks there are both material and inmaterial aspects to reality, to accept the scientific method insofar as it is a way to understand material things, while disagreeing with the metaphysical asumptions of scientism that such method can answer all questions. Or how it isn't contradictory for Marx to adopt concepts and ideas from Hegel even though they both see the world very differently outside those simmilarities. It would be contradictory for a Christian to accept the whole of Christianity and the whole of Marxism at the same time, but those are not anyone's intentions. They just agree with particular ideas like the criticism of capitalism, class struggle and how to organize a more fair economy, without buying also the metaphysical and epistemological presuppositions of Marx. The thing is, it's much easier to say "I'm a socialist" or "I'm a marxist" and get across to people where you stand in regards to the economy, than to sit down and try to explain to them every nuance of your philosophical beliefs which don't fit neatly into any political movement.

[noheroespublishing]

My thoughts on Religion is that, in time, should a Socialist society be achieved, religion will split up itself. The supposed Philosophical/Ethical side will be fully subsumed by Philosophy, and the mythological aspects will be absorbed into Art/Human Creativity. I see this partially happening in our modern culture with different conventions and fanships and the exultation of the artist/artists and their works as well as the culture/communities created by such things; both Art Appreciation and Criticism are very interesting aspects of this phenomena; Oscar Wilde's The Soul of Man Under Socialism and The Critic as Artist, while they don't necessarily say this, can easily be seen as predicting this as a result of Socialism, even Nietzsche basically argued that Art was the inevitable conclusion to the death of religion in society.

[souparnoadhikari]

Comrade
In India we communists have moved out from Extreme Atheism. Party said one can follow their own religion but Secularism is must.

[jlmil]

This was a great video. I keep coming back to watch it. I wonder if you'd do a follow up video and go into other things relating to religion

[thechekist]

"Those who toil and live in want all their lives are taught, by religion, to be submissive and patient while here on earth, and to take comfort in the hope of a heavenly reward. But those who live by the labour of others are taught, by religion, to practise charity while on earth, thus offering them a very cheap way of justifying their entire existence as exploiters, and selling them, at a moderate price, tickets to well-being in heaven. Religion is opium for the people. Religion is a sort of spiritual booze, in which the slaves of capital drown their human image, their demand for a life more or less worthy of man."
– Vladimir Lenin, Socialism and Religion

[SephStuff_]

when finbol said “the rise of the burgers” i felt that

[KilgoreTroutAsf]

That was a very illuminating video. Kudos comrade.

[slipknotboy]

Good stuff as usual, it's always great to see a new upload of yours in my feed

[allypoum]

Nice, well structured summary of a very large and important subject.

[stevenhuang]

Very much appreciated your thoughts, but there is one thing I have to disagree with: Most Chinese people are not religious, but rather very secular. They may worship a bunch of Gods, but there is no single one of them that is adored by all and their beliefs can shift fairly quickly if they deem one of these Gods won't work. After decades of non-religious education since the founding of the PRC, most Chinese people nowadays identify themselves as non-believers and according to Chinese laws, it is illegal to preach in public. That makes religion even harder to spread in China.

[redrascal]

Very nice video comrade. Thank you. Too bad you didn’t include Islam and Hinduism as the two other mayor religions. Would have been nice to hear some specifics on them too.

[chhhhhris]

I think one of the most dangerous aspects of religion is how the political and religious were not separated but conflated, hence *_to question political-authority is to question god._* This transfers over even still today, there are remnants in western religious teachings.

[blackhogarth]

Great talk. Along with nationalism, religion is a very nuanced topic for us socialists. I remember reading some of Lenin's writings about how even though the public cannot be forced out of religion, it's important that members of the vanguard party be militantly atheistic.