Opiate for the Masses

Karl Marx is respected in my world, as a sociologist he was bright and stark with regards to social views on various policy outlooks. Though I do think his pessimistic ways of looking at everything likely caused him to lack a real sense of joy, intellectually he had some interesting insights.

I've heard this often from many people that; Religion was merely a means to control the masses. One of the most common quoted and misquoted from Karl's work, in looking at the real root of that comment I'll quote Marx work here;

Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions.
Karl Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right

Again I look at this and state my major complaint, that most people assume religion and faith to be one in the same. In my world it's the complete opposite. Though religion attempted to control, historical accounts show the attempts to control Jesus and his followers with failing attempts. The followers of Christ at the time were rebels and outcasts in many ways, which actually counter attacks the statement that religion reigned in control, because it actually failed in this respect.

Currently Religion still exists for a variety of reasons and perhaps Karl Marx was correct, I see how Religion has the ability to oppress, and for some it does give an illusion to focus on. With any major facet of society be it religion or politics, there will always be a portion of utter corruption but to make assumptions of the entire population is merely fallacy. Assuming that all people involved in the realm of church and religion live in an illusion and to discount real faith and what that gives to human life and to the human spirit is to discount one of the most beautiful aspects of humanity.

In my life my faith is a source of love and encouragement, it's a source of strength and joy. There is no connection to religion other than the fact that I find scripture fascinating, I don't use it as a source of control but rather a means of intellectual literary study. For me faith add's beauty to my life.