Is Religion Opium of Society? by Barry Nirmal (www.myads.org/journal)

Karl Marx called religion opium of society. He wrote, "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." [1]

So, Marx theorized that the capitalist classes use religion as opium to keep the working masses intoxicated, thus making it easier for them to rule over the poor, exploited classes. Sigmund Freud, another intellectual of the twentieth century Europe, called religion not only an illusion, but as mass delusion.

Freud says “The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion, ever recognizes it as such“. (1)

In this essay I wish to explore the roles played by religion and God in the life of man. Religion is an intoxicating necessity of human mind. Organized religion plays a role that is not played by any other institutions. They give people faith in God which is a basic necessity of human mind. Religion also gives moral code to regulate human life which helps to regulate society as well.

This is why religion was born around the same time that man began to live in communities. And all attempts to eliminate religion have thus far miserably failed. Soviet Union was the first Communist state and it tried to eradicate religion. But when this economic and political system collapsed, capitalism became the ruling ideology and with it came the prominence of religion in society. Even though the Russian state tries to promote Orthodox Christian church, other religions e.g. ISKCON (Hare Krishna movement) are quite popular in Russia today.

Only in China and a perhaps in a few other countries e.g. Cuba and North Korea, religion is suppressed. But as China grants its citizens greater freedom of thought, it will be forced to grant them religious freedom as well.

God does not exist except as human imagination. This is why different religions have different concepts of God and often these concepts clash with one another and create hostilities leading to religious conflict. History is replete with instances of religious conflict and wars. Christianity and Islam have been at war with one another for centuries. Hindus and Muslims have been fighting one another for centuries in the South Asian subcontinent.

Such wars would not have occurred if the masses had understood the true nature of God and religion.

If there is God, it exists only as a mysterious force that permeates the whole universe. God is to be seen in human conscience. When a man commits a grave sin, and even if he is not punished for it, his conscience pricks him for his whole life. In this conscience we can find God at work. When a parent sacrifices his or her life for the sake of his child, when a man risks his own life to save another human being, in these actions we can find God at work. Because if self-preservation is a basic human instinct, what impels a man to sacrifice his own life for the sake of another? It is God. Other than this there is no God.

Purpose of Life

Usefulness of Religion in pursuit of happiness

So, these people who are unhappy despite gaining material successes seek the refuge of religion to gain happiness. In the arms of religion they experience comfort and peace of mind. In the past twenty years, I have met three men in North America who fall in this category. I met one man in Canada who was born in India in the fifties, and had tried to gain success by aping the ways of the Western male. He chased women, flattered his bosses and was able to conquer the hearts of some women. Eventually, he was able to get promoted to a supervisor position in his company, which was quite an achievement, because these positions, at that time, were reserved for white males. But one day he was suddenly laid off when the company was losing money, while his white colleagues were spared such an ignominious fate. This experience jolted him severely and he decided not to hunt for job anymore. He decided to embrace the Hindu religion and for the past two decades he is quite happy leading such a lifestyle.

In the USA I met a Black man who had embraced Christianity after living a life full of drinking, womanizing and pursuing other sensual pleasures. Finally he realized that he was not happy and decided to embrace a Christian lifestyle and I found him to be quite a happy man,

In the same way I met a white man in the USA who had become a Christian after leading a desolate life, full of drinking, and chasing women. He too finally realized that he was not happy and decided to embrace Christianity.

It seems that religion helped such people to shake off their bad, old habits. No amount of lecturing by parents or well-wishers succeeds where religion does, in helping one overcome deeply-entrenched habits.

Even great writers find refuge in religion

Every time I tried to express my most sincere desire, which was to be morally good, I met with contempt and ridicule, but as soon as I yielded to low passions I was praised and encouraged.

Ambition, love of power, covetousness, lasciviousness, pride, anger, and revenge -- were all respected.

Yielding to those passions I became like the grown-up folk and felt that they approved of me. The kind aunt with whom I lived, herself the purest of beings, always told me that there was nothing she so desired for me as that I should have relations with a married woman..... Another happiness she desired for me was that I should become an aide-de-camp, and if possible aide-de-camp to the Emperor. But the greatest happiness of all would be that I should marry a very rich girl and so become possessed of as many serfs as possible.

I cannot think of those years without horror, loathing and heartache. I killed men in war and challenged men to duels in order to kill them. I lost at cards, consumed the labor of the peasants, sentenced them to punishments, lived loosely, and deceived people. Lying, robbery, adultery of all kinds, drunkenness, violence, murder -- there was no crime I did not commit, and in spite of that people praised my conduct and my contemporaries considered and consider me to be a comparatively moral man.

He stopped thinking about suicide only after he accepted Christian teachings. Only after he found God, he found answers to his questions, “What is the meaning of my life?" and "Why was I born?” and he stopped thinking about suicide.

Views of an Atheist Guru of Psychoanalysis on Religion

“Religion restricts this play of choice and adaptation, since it imposes equally on everyone its own path to the acquisition of happiness and protection from suffering. Its technique consists in depressing the value of life and distorting the picture of the real world in a delusional manner- which presupposes an intimidation of the intelligence. At this price, by forcibly fixing them in a state of psychical infantilism and by drawing them into a mass delusion, religion succeeds in sparing many people an individual neurosis. But hardly anything more. There are, as we have said, many paths which may lead to such happiness as is attainable by men, but there is none which does it for certain. Even religion cannot keep its promise.” (2)

Religion helps in fighting depression

Here is what one website says, "There are three main components that define the relationship between religion and mental health. First, religious participation offers people opportunities for regular social interaction with others who share their beliefs and values. These social networks supply companionship and comfort during stressful times. Second, religion helps people make sense of undesirable life events and conditions, and helps them cope with personal setbacks such as grief and health problems. Third, religion promotes healthy lifestyles. Studies show that religious participation decreases the likelihood that one will abuse alcohol or drugs, two key factors associated with mental health problems. It is thus not surprising that studies indicate that religious people are less likely to be depressed than nonreligious people. (3)

"On the other hand, there is also the positive side of the religion and depression link. Religions offer a lot of comfort and support to people who experience depression by giving them spiritual support and teaching them to overcome this challenge. By meditating, practicing introspection, and making them aware of their inner strength, religions help people to face difficult situations without breaking down.

The role played by religion in a person who is experiencing depression can be extremely positive if he or she learns to put faith in it. By trusting that there is a higher power that is all forgiving, all encompassing and will take care of everyone, people will cultivate a positive outlook and thought processes. If one can take the positive aspects of religion and surrender to this higher force, it is possible for people to learn to accept failure and negative experiences as part of life and make peace with them.

It is when people cannot make peace with any given situation they are going through, like separation, disability, disease, or death of a loved one, etc, that they start becoming pessimistic and negative. If, during these difficult times, people are able to rest their faith in religion and become positive, there are very good chances they will not slip into depression. Indeed, be strongly grounded in one's religion and depression may just stay away.

There is also another element to the positive side of the religion and depression connection. Religions often offer groups of like-minded people who share the same faith and beliefs. These people form a strong social core which helps provide emotional and other kinds of support. This not only helps to prevent depression, but also helps in the recovery of depressed persons.

Conclusion on Religion and Depression

Ultimately, if one is able to navigate difficult situations without losing hope and learn to become positive by subscribing to a certain faith or religion, one will only stand to benefit from becoming religious. Therefore, people should learn to draw comfort from religion rather than become guilty and pessimistic. Learn to embrace the positive elements of religion and depression should not be an issue.

As the saying goes, to err is human and to forgive is divine. It is important to forgive oneself, because if one does not, chances are one will end up punishing oneself. And, sometimes, these feelings will create a lot of inner turmoil leading to hopelessness, self loathing, and worthlessness. These negative thoughts will accumulate and one will start contemplating suicide.

Just so that things do not end up in dire situations, it is important to realize and remember that religion is manmade so that people can benefit from it, and not the other way round." (4)

(2) Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud, W.W. Norton & Company, 1961, page 36.