Compatriotas; tengan cuidado en quienes ustedes confían sus problemas. “No todos los que sonríen en una iglesia, estación de radio o clínica legal son sus Redentores” Open your minds!!!

RELIGION VERSUS MARXISM (Part 1)

                                       By Elizabeth H. Elys 

Does religion needs philosophy or vice versa? 

WHAT DO FAITH AND REASON HAVE TO SAY TO EACH OTHER?

More than a hundred years ago, Nietzche declared that God was dead.

God had been something like a guarantor of an absolute order, structure of the world in which the human being could be meaningfully included.

When looking for meaning in the world, people often turn to philosophy or religion. Some people have different ideas about where the diving lines are between religion and philosophy.

Followers of religion may see their beliefs as “truth” however, it is generally agreed that these beliefs are a matter of faith. It is “true” because they have faith in the messages from their supernatural God or Gods.

Instead of being centered on faith, philosophy involves the rational pursuit of knowledge and a general understanding about the nature and purpose of the universe. Philosophers look for knowledge primarily through questions and observations.

While religion provides dogmatic answer, philosophy provides provocative question. Philosophy is arguably about discovering knowledge than accepting the world of an authority or supernatural God. Philosophy can be based on religious assumption, and their ideas about religion are commonly explored through metaphysical philosophy.

Philosophy can exist without religion, just as believers do not have to consider the philosophy behind their faith in order to be considered religious.

Philosophy seeks to understand if we exist! Religion tells us how we should live?

Philosophy deals with the Mind and the Intellect, but also the spiritual essence of life. Philosophers lead to endless debate and different viewpoint, religion also leads to disputes over which religion is best. Philosophy is too proud to experience joy; the aim of philosophy is mental astuteness. Religion sometimes seeks joy, and sometimes feels necessity of suffering and sacrifice. 

17^th and 18^th centuries was big intellectual movement in Europe, in which ideas were concerned God, reason, nature, and humankind were synthesized into a world view that gained wide assent and that instigated revolutionary development in art, philosophy and politics. This is an ENLIGTENMENT. Central of this movement were thoughts used as the celebration of reason, the power by which the individual understands the universe and improves the human condition. The goals of the rational individual were considered to be knowledge, freedom and happiness.

The rise of philosophy began big concern for religion, people turned to question of reason, and they start to question what is important in life, discussing the matter of religion and philosophy.

Is religion a type of philosophy! Is philosophy a religious activity?

Both religion and philosophy wrestle with problems like? What is good? What does it mean to live a good life? What is the nature of reality? How we treat each other? What is really most important in life?

The 19^th century was era of rapidly accelerating scientific discovery in invention, with significant developments in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and electricity. 

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and spread to continental Europe, North America and Japan. The Victorian era was notorious for the employment of young children in factories and mines, as well strict social norms, modesty and gender roles.

By the 19^th century was developed a philosophical system call Marxism, known as dialectic materialism, under which matter gives rise to Mind (Materialism) and all is subject to change. Founders were German social theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 

Since time when Marx described religion as the “opiate of people”, has been open warfare between Marxists and Christians. Marxists believes in social change, Christians in faith. 

The difference is the fact that Marxism as a philosophy tends to emphasize just the use of reason and critical thinking, whereas religions may make use of reason, but at the very least they also rely on faith, or even use the faith to exclusion of reason. 

The Marxism is the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocate by Marx. It is a system of economic, social and political philosophy based on ideas that view social change in terms of economic factor.

Marx’s theory of religion needs to be seen in the context of his general view of SOCIETY, Capitalism dominates the working class. Marxism sees religion as a feature only of class divided society, as such there will be no need for religion in classless society and will be disappear.

 

For Marx ideology is a belief system that changes people’s perception of reality in ways that serve the interests of the ruling class.                                                                                                                                   Continue…