Marxism, Religion, and Capitalism (was Felix Morrow on religion)

[Yoshie Furuhashi <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 2/24/07, Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> There is a difference between the _cause_ of a belief and the
> expression/explanation of the belief. I do not think religion is a major
> _cause_ of social beliefs; it merely provides the vocabulary in which
> beliefs otherwise grounded are expressed and defended.

Marxists are fond of saying that religion is compatible with
capitalism, and so it is, in some hands, but the same can be very well
said about Marxism.  As a matter of fact, it is probably easier to
reconcile Marxism with capitalism than to reconcile religion with it.
Religion, after all, was originally a pre-modern, pre-capitalist
phenomenon, so, in order to adopt any variety of it to capitalist
life, you have to twist it very seriously, almost beyond recognition.
Whereas Marxism arose after capitalism, in response to it, and one of
its tenets widely held by adherents to Marxism is that transition to
socialism first of all demands a great deal of capitalist development,
and for many Marxists no amount of capitalist development seems enough
foundation for that perpetually postponed transition.   :->
--
Yoshie
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