"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."
Karl Marx 1818 -1883
People usually know the last sentence, but not the entire quote.
I'm not a Marxist, as such, but Marxian analyis has influenced me all my adult life.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.what better way, really, to keep a "lost" person in line? Ppl are bloodthirsty, and would even sacrifice their children if they could i guess
bbyrd009
Level 7
Sep 5, 2020
0
@MissKathleen fwiw the Bible very clearly states No son of man may die for another's sins, No one has ever gone up to heaven, etc
@MissKathleen ha well if one reads it literally, prolly not
also, imo most English versions are hopelessly corrupted, "Lord" is an Englyshe title, "hell" is the invention of Norse/Angle scribes, etc
@MissKathleen but if you read it right, you can walk on water too 
Karl was exactly correct.
DenoPenno
Level 9
Sep 5, 2020
0
SCal:
Yeah, one of the few things he got right.
SCal:
Capitalism is the private ownership of property and the free exchange thereof. Your labor is included in that property.
Everything else you stated was pure, maniacal nonsense.
Seriously, how does the free and voluntary exchange of privately owned goods lead to any of what you just described?
Appreciate you posting the whole quote.
It's one of those frequently misquoted, and misunderstood, quotes.
Marx was no different from most philosophers, He had some good ideas, and some not so good ideas. He's also been misunderstood, and had many of his philosophies twisted to
support the agendas of assholes.
KKGator
Level 9
Sep 5, 2020
1
I never knew the whole sentence, very good one, thank you!
Merseyman1
Level 9
Sep 5, 2020
0
Great post. This is the insight into religion that liberal atheists don't understand. Instead of trying to empathize with the oppressed who desperately turn to religion, they prefer to feel superior by casting disdain on the religious working class. (And by the latter, I don't mean privileged, US evangelical fanatics.)
Krish55
Level 8
Sep 5, 2020
2
"Liberals"
@VictoriaNotes Thanks, Victoria. I changed that to liberal atheists.
@VictoriaNotes Oh, I agree with you that conservative atheists don't empathize. But my alternative to liberalism is radical socialism. It was that perspective that enabled Marx to empathize with the indoctrinated working class
SCal
Level 7
Sep 5, 2020
0
What a silly thing to say. I'm not a marxist but your interpretation of marxism is completely wrong.
frvl:
Both the reference to Elon Musk and the name in the pic, Hungry Santa, suggest the quote is not fom Marx. Even the allegedly Musk's quote is wrong. Communism strips everybody (the wealthy and the poor) of their property thru a bloody revolution. After that, those in power in communist regimes have to work to keep wealth in their hands. A more precise quote would say "Gib me dat or else."
The problem you face David is that many Yanks will have a knee jerk reaction to Marx, not realising that he was a working class man who had some thoughtful philosophies and that the communism they fear is nothing like he predicted or proposed. I suspect that few will have read the communist manifesto.
Cyklone
Level 7
Sep 5, 2020
4
SCal:
The knee jerk is because many of his theories have been disproved, cough, cough, labor theory anyone?
No. Marx was a lazy, self-absorbed asshole that justifies the seizing of people’s private property through coercion, theft, and resentment.
SCal:
The state is an outdated and archaic stopgap as well. It's time has run it's course. Most people simply don't realize it.
@Heavykevy1985 Yep. Knee jerk reaction.
@Cyklone nope. Succinct and to the truth. Only a moron and an economic dullard would want to live under Communism
@Heavykevy1985 I don't disagree with you. None of us disagree with you. Read the posts. Your failure to do that is why I say knee jerk reaction.
@Cyklone no. I have read it. Marx has a point somewhat about religion being “opiate of the masses” but he has no substitute for the value system being supplanted.
Whatever, I didn't need Marx to know religion was a lie.
You don't need a validating authority to see how useless it all is.
Willow_Wisp
Level 8
Sep 5, 2020
4
@Matias Horse apples, it's all a lie. Screw Marx.
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