According to Karl Marx, “Religion is the opium of the people.” In other words it is the escape goat for people that want an explanation in their lives. It also helps people feel that their live are not all negative. The “opium” in the phrase, is the commonly used drug during the times of Marx. Like using the opium for pleasure, Marx says that religion is the same thing. He claims that religion is only prevalent so that people who do not enjoy their lives they can look to religion for answers. And that there will be a happy afterlife so that all the work they are doing on Earth will pay off when they reach eternal life. But the real question is, why does religion need to be an idea, why can’t it just a coincidence that it works this way and gives people a better quality of life?
To me, religion can exist as a reality and an “opium of the people.” Every single cause can have many diverse effects. For example, food may become expired and then give food poison to the person that intakes that spoiled food. Just because someone got sick from the food does not mean the sickness is the single reason why the food was in existence. This goes for religion too. In a Christian view, God can exist and give an “opium” to the people and still be the Christian God he is. Religion is not only there because people do not like their lives and need an escape valve. It just happens to be one of the offshoots that religion can give to people who believe in it.
Marx is not completely wrong with his idea of the “Opium of the people.” I feel he is half correct. Religion has a way of making people look on the bright side and give people a reason to live their lives knowing they will have a fabulous afterlife. Marx is wrong in the idea that religion is just an idea to make people work more and make people happier. It seems that Marx thinks religion is too good to be true. Religion could technically be the opium of the people, but it can also be far more than that.
It would make sense for someone to develop the idea of God and religion as a way of making people feel more content and to increase their working productivity. But looking at the roots of religion one will find that there would be no point to this idea during the time religion would have been “invented.” Historians can date scriptures back hundreds (MOM!! Thousands?) of years before Christ. During this time it would not make much sense to invent religion because humans were not putting in 12 hour days and they would have to be content with their lives because they do not have much to compare other live with their own. People may continue to say that religion is false, but what would drive someone to develop such a sophisticated “system?” In the end, Marx is somewhat correct, but fails to look at the fact that religion could be a real thing that tends to give followers a better outlook on life.
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