Marx?s Idea of Religion

Some philosophers, like Freud, Nietzsche and Marx, criticize religion as it is. They supposed that rules set by the religion hinder their real desires, do not give the chance for self-realization and self-determination. For example, Marx’s idea of religion is that man makes religion and the religion does not make him. The man is the world, state and society. This very world and this very state create religion. This religion is nothing more than the reversed world consciousness, because people live in the reversed world. Religion is the theory of this inverted world. Religion gives the world its sense, fulfills with the holy direction and enthusiasm, its moral approve, its solemn balance, its general source for support and justification. The fight against religion may be regarded as the indirect struggle against the world. Religion is some kind of the spiritual aroma of the world. According to Marx’s point of view, religious suffering is the direct reflection of the real suffering and the protest against them. Marx says that the thought is material and the beliefs are the reflections of the real desires. Marx states that the abolition of the religion as the imaginary happiness is the require of the real happiness.

He said that it is impossible for the arm of criticism to substitute the criticism of arms. Material power can be overthrown only by the material power and the theory starts to be the material power only when it conquered the masses. It means that the more people posses this power, the more people it influence on.

As a result, Marx comes to the conclusion that the man is the Supreme Being for man. This thought wants to overthrough all the circumstances when man can be abased, incarcerated and neglected and contemptible being. In general, all those conditions when man can be treated like a dog.