Comparing and contrasting Marx" belief on religion as a social opium, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber's understanding and account of religion within society. ... Marx imagined primeval communist societies in which all resources were owned jointly by the members of the community, a social organisation to which he longed for a putative return. ... He insisted that "economic facts have formed the foundation of social life; they are the base that generates the division of labour, the struggle of classes, and alienation" (136)*. ... Religion thus protects those who are in power,...

• Word Count: 2462
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It was guaranteed by the most powerful and reliable of all social institutions."(Pg. 291) This "powerful authority" was religion and it was very useful in sustaining a stable social system in times when security was hard to come by. ... He insisted that "economic facts have formed the foundation of social life; they are the base that generates the division of labor, the struggle of classes, and alienation" (136). ... Religion thus protects those who are in power, all the more as it "provides the ideology [...] which they can call upon to remind the poor that all social arrangements should sta...

• Word Count: 2019
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate