Marx and Engels' View of Religion

The concept of religion is a contentious terrain with the subject being viewed as divisive and discordant within Nations. Beckford and Luckmann (1989) discuss religion as a continuous challenge to scientists studying society. Since the industrial revolution there has been ambivalent dichotomy of opinion towards religion with some perceiving religious ideology continuing as normal, whilst others believed the concept would be discarded as the new social order developed. This essay will consider the perspectives of Marx and Engels upon the role of Religion and will also discuss how relevant there argument is in the 21st century. The use of academic text, lecture notes and journal articles will be used to research and answer the essay question. The essay will cover the following topics: Marx and his importance in the science of Sociology, Marx and Engels ideology and how they move away from the philosophy of Hegel, the idea of false consciousness, Marx and Engels perspective on Religion by using the basis of the dogma as being a human phenomenon. This essay will also define the metaphor of base and superstructure, the theories of alienation and its connection with Marx and Engels religious premise. Finally, this essay will discuss the relevance of their argument within contemporary society. Karl Marx, a macro-sociologist was revered as one of the founding fathers of sociological discipline along with Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and George Simmel. Both Marx and Engels were members of the Berlin Doctors club which was a group of young Hegelians who believed Christianity was historical in man’s social need as discussed by Raines (2002). Young Marx moved from studying law to philosophy in 1837 and was fascinated by the work of Hegel, who co...

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