"Religion is the opium of the masses"

People using this quote to be anti-religion makes sense but also falls apart when you understand what opium is.

Opium was used as a painkiller in the treatment of diseases and surgeries. While it had somewhat addictive properties, in itself opium is not too bad as a substance given that it was like aspirin back then. People who read Marx rightfully pinpointed how useful religion is to lull people into a false sense of security to blind them to the corruption of the capitalist systems around them, but they also fail to consider that it could be used as a way to fight against these very same capitalist forces by giving people hope and courage. Opium is a drug yes, but in its historical context as a painkiller during surgery it was essential to keep people alive; it’s all about how it’s used

This is something that pisses me off with Marxist and many leftist spaces too because alienating religious people who are genuinely looking to espouse leftist values is only hurting the cause more. We should be inclusive and willing to educate people, not violently lashing out at others and sitting on our hands to pump out unintelligent discourse. The little Catholic grandma down the street is not your enemy nor your oppressor. 

Also pretending that ALL religious people are evil conservative bigots is also not only alienating but plain WRONG. Religious alternative people exist, not all branches of a religion have the same values, not all individuals within a religion interpret their beliefs the same way, and not all religions are the same. Saying otherwise is reductionist, rude and intellectually lazy, and is a thought-terminating cliché within leftist circles in my opinion. Like no, Martin Luther King Jr. who was a pastor, was not some evil racist bigot because of his religiosity. 

I will say though, that I am not blind to the harm that can be inflicted by religious institutions but oftentimes these are not unique to the religions they claim to espouse and rather more common to evil imperialist regimes and oppressive societies. For example, Ancient Greece was polytheistic before and very misogynistic, Modern Greece is still very misogynistic but Christian now; the religion changed but the bigotry stayed the same. 

Religion is not the problem. No religious text says any definite thing and is full of internal contradiction. It’s all about how one interprets and discusses what is said within the framework of these beliefs, which means that one can find a way to include leftist thought within their religious system. Conflating conservativism with religious thought (which is in itself a conservative idea) will only worsen the complaints that people have with religious institutions since there would be no pushback within these spaces against evil bigoted ideas, and  people would be (and to be honest, a lot already are) adopting religious identity as a political statement; this is what happens when you alienate potential allies and burn bridges. Instead of being so thoroughly hostile to religion, even as an atheist or whatever, I recommend understanding the institutional power that religion occupies in human society and the valuable social token that it can be for any ideology, including leftist beliefs. I’m not saying that everyone should be using it in this manner, but that since it is already used like that by right-wing circles it might as well also be co-opted by leftists in a similar fashion (which it already is, though not as popularly for a variety of reasons)

Religion is the opium of the masses, but opium is both a destructive drug and a lifesaving painkiller. Religious leftists and religious alternative people exist and will keep existing regardless of your feelings about it, and you can absolutely be both if your mind is open enough. Stay safe, stay woke and stay awesome. Thank you for reading!