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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 9 page paper discusses the religious theories of Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx and argues that Durkheim’s thinking is more relevant to society today. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
9 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVmarxdk.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
It argues that Durkheims position is more compelling than Marxs thinking. Discussion Marx, like many other of his time and since, was critical of religion, which he viewed as only
one part of his theory of society.1 However, he did not attack religion as illogical because it depends on a set of beliefs for its consistency; instead, he suggested that
as "religion reflects society," criticism of religion also implies criticism of society.2 This is not terribly surprising, since Marx viewed religion as a human construct: "Man makes religion doesnt make
man. Religion is the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet found himself or has already lost himself again."3 Marx sees religion, in short, as something men
make up to control other men and to keep themselves in power; it is a "drug" that is used to "divert peoples attention from their miseries, which are the consequences
of exploitation."4 For Marx, everything came down to the idea of exploitation and class struggle; which meant that religion too was a weapon in the battle; specifically, it was used
by the ruling class to keep the oppressed in line. He wrote, and his words are bitter, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless
world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless condition. It is the opium of the people."5 This is one of the most famous quotes from all of Marx,
and its an extremely economical way to express his feelings about religion. He also pointed out something else interesting: the "development of religion as a compensatory mechanism. This is achieved
through the process of transvaluation (Nietzsche 1927 [1887])."6 Transvaluation is an odd process, but one that happens repeatedly: the oppressed identify with their oppressor. As Schoenfeld puts it, transvaluation is
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