EXACTLY HOW does it slightly change the meaning of his quote??

It can make sense to non-religious people but not to religious people who can't grasp the historical dimension or see organized religion as a form of social support for reactionary governments.

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He was completely spot on....without something to believe in - some "carrot" to chase after many people could simply not function day to day through adversity. Gotta give them something that gives them hope and a reason to keep going on - dangle "everafter in heaven" as their reward for good behavior and instill in them the fear of everafter in whatever form of hell their imaginations can conjure up. Makes me wonder if mankind didn't get stuck on one of the rungs of the evolutionary ladder......I think we're still a long way off from being truly evolved.

Opium produces a little more than just pain relief like an asprin. It immediately relieved suffering and provided peaceful pleasant illusions. I think Karl Marx was clearly speaking of the altered state that religion or opium produced. It just isn't reality.

Aren’t opiates still commonly used for pain relief?

I'll deal with life...cold turkey-no thanks.

Good point!