Speaker: Anna Gluckstein
“Religion is the opium of the people,” is one of the better known quotations from Karl Marx.
Fewer people have heard the full, more nuanced quote: “Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. 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.”
Throughout history people have turned to religious ideas because they want a sense of community and solidarity in a world that offers neither.
It’s true that religions are often organised into hierarchies that reflect the inequality in wider society and promote oppressive ideas – for example condemning the LGBT+ community. But many religious people are committed to changing this, motivated by the common ground between religion and socialism.
Join us to discuss how Marxists relate to religion and how this contributes to the wider struggle for socialist change.
5th May 2021
7:30 pm
We have cancelled all meetings in person and will be hosting this meeting via Zoom.
Zoom room number: 543 023 057
