So I wholeheartedly agree with everything you’ve said here I do want to offer the full quote from Marx. That line is always taken out of context and I read it as a call towards changing the material conditions of the oppressed and a gauntlet thrown against the churches door:
“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.
The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.”
I deeply agree that spirituality is what humanity needs right now.
It’s worth noting that Marx is speaking about “religion”, not spirituality.
And organized religion, with its institutions, hierarchies and in-group mentalities, IS used by political interests as a tool to pacify OR to activate groups of people for materialist causes.
While churches can provide wonderful guidance, community and structure, they can equally be used to separate people from their innate sense of spiritual knowing. Meanwhile pseudo-spiritual gurus on social media exploit that same human need for something meaningful, for their own gain.
I, like you, believe what humans need now is a return to our deep, experiential, innate knowings. And we need the time and space to do that - which is why capitalism is threatened by real spirituality. Not that we shouldn’t learn the wisdom or follow spiritual practices, but that ultimately we need to become incorruptible in our knowledge that love is the deepest truth, no matter what gurus or preachers tell us.
Britt, thanks so much for you for your comment and thoughts. I agree! I will say I purposely use spirituality and religion interchangeably in the essay because I do want to trouble the distinction between the two. I find that spirituality alone as it's practiced in the West can be very individualistic. Religion, on the other hand, while it does represent institutions (and all the problems that come with that) I do think it's the way practice and teachings have maintained themselves throughout time. A big part of my intention for this essay, and perhaps I should have been more clear about this, is that I think the discipline, structure, and form (which usually comes from what's commonly perceived as "religion") is something that I think people need to lean into during these times. It may be a matter of semantics but I feel that it's not just spirituality alone that is needed.
So I wholeheartedly agree with everything you’ve said here I do want to offer the full quote from Marx. That line is always taken out of context and I read it as a call towards changing the material conditions of the oppressed and a gauntlet thrown against the churches door:
“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.
The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.”
Jill, thank you for including this full quote here! I appreciate it.
I deeply agree that spirituality is what humanity needs right now.
It’s worth noting that Marx is speaking about “religion”, not spirituality.
And organized religion, with its institutions, hierarchies and in-group mentalities, IS used by political interests as a tool to pacify OR to activate groups of people for materialist causes.
While churches can provide wonderful guidance, community and structure, they can equally be used to separate people from their innate sense of spiritual knowing. Meanwhile pseudo-spiritual gurus on social media exploit that same human need for something meaningful, for their own gain.
I, like you, believe what humans need now is a return to our deep, experiential, innate knowings. And we need the time and space to do that - which is why capitalism is threatened by real spirituality. Not that we shouldn’t learn the wisdom or follow spiritual practices, but that ultimately we need to become incorruptible in our knowledge that love is the deepest truth, no matter what gurus or preachers tell us.
Britt, thanks so much for you for your comment and thoughts. I agree! I will say I purposely use spirituality and religion interchangeably in the essay because I do want to trouble the distinction between the two. I find that spirituality alone as it's practiced in the West can be very individualistic. Religion, on the other hand, while it does represent institutions (and all the problems that come with that) I do think it's the way practice and teachings have maintained themselves throughout time. A big part of my intention for this essay, and perhaps I should have been more clear about this, is that I think the discipline, structure, and form (which usually comes from what's commonly perceived as "religion") is something that I think people need to lean into during these times. It may be a matter of semantics but I feel that it's not just spirituality alone that is needed.
Fierce faith as food, fuel
for wise, kind, grounded action.
Vows put to practice.