How frequent is your religious fix?

[bigvindaloo]

Marx coined the term "opiate of the masses" to describe religion. Is your religious believe/practice in any way similar to a drug addiction? Do you have a regularity about your practice without which you could not function? Is Marx's idea antithetical to correct religious belief? Is your practice rather a way of life than a regular fix? How frequent is your religious routine?

 

[cardero]

Yes, Patrickism is quite addictive.

 

[Mr. Hair]

Every second of my life is a religious experience. I'm just more aware of it sometimes then others.

 

[jewscout]

Freud coined the term "opiate of the masses" to describe religion. Is your religious believe/practice in any way similar to a drug addiction? Do you have a regularity about your practice without which you could not function? Is Freud's idea antithetical to correct religious belief? Is your practice rather a way of life than a regular fix? How frequent is your religious routine?

i think you are misunderstanding Marx (not Freud...Marx referred to religion as the opiate of the masses)

he was talking about religion as a way for the Bourgeoisie (hope i spelled that right) to control the lower classes, not as an actual addiction like a drug.

 

[Engyo]

I practice every day, but I am not sure I could call it a "fix", any more than one can call breakfast, lunch or dinner a "fix" for a food addiction.

 

[bigvindaloo]

i think you are misunderstanding Marx (not Freud...Marx referred to religion as the opiate of the masses)

he was talking about religion as a way for the Bourgeoisie (hope i spelled that right) to control the lower classes, not as an actual addiction like a drug.

True, and humble apologies for a dreadful error. Yet, is religion an opiate?

 

[jewscout]

True, and humble apologies for a dreadful error. Yet, is religion an opiate?

an opiate, how? are we still talking in the context of how Marx describes it or are we talking about it as you have described it, as something that is "a fix" to be had, if you will?

 

[bigvindaloo]

an opiate, how? are we still talking in the context of how Marx describes it or are we talking about it as you have described it, as something that is "a fix" to be had, if you will?

I suggest you re-read the OP and answer the questions posed there. Marx described religion as an instrument of oppression. I am interested in how you experience it in your practice. Necessary or not? How frequent?

 

[MaddLlama]

Marx coined the term "opiate of the masses" to describe religion. Is your religious believe/practice in any way similar to a drug addiction? Do you have a regularity about your practice without which you could not function? Is Marx's idea antithetical to correct religious belief? Is your practice rather a way of life than a regular fix? How frequent is your religious routine?

If you want your personal involvement in whatever religion you follow to be taken seriously, you can't treat it like a hobby, a fandom, or a drug.

 

[jewscout]

I suggest you re-read the OP and answer the questions posed there. Marx described religion as an instrument of oppression. I am interested in how you experience it in your practice. Necessary or not? How frequent?

i practice my religion everyday, all the time...by choosing to purchase foods that are certified Kosher as opposed to those which are not is practicing my religion.

it's not a fix...it's a way of life for me.

 

[bigvindaloo]

If you want your personal involvement in whatever religion you follow to be taken seriously, you can't treat it like a hobby, a fandom, or a drug.

Surely addiction is not a hobby. Why couldn't personal involvement in a religion be treated like an addiction? Taking this idea seriously or not is another matter.

 

[MaddLlama]

Surely addiction is not a hobby. Why couldn't personal involvement in a religion be treated like an addiction? Taking this idea seriously or not is another matter.

Because it shouldn't be something you do because you get a good high out of it. It should be something you are, a way of living. To say it's an addiction essentially is the same thing as saying that there is nothing beyond any religion except it's trappings. And that just isn't true.
Is vegetarianism an addiction?

 

[BrandonE]

Surely addiction is not a hobby. Why couldn't personal involvement in a religion be treated like an addiction? Taking this idea seriously or not is another matter.

I have run into a few people for whom their religion is as you describe. Outwardly they seem to be addicted to the emotional high of a communal experience but seem to be otherwise unaffected with regard to how they conduct themselves. However, I am not privy to their internal experience, so maybe it is more than that to them. Even so, I don't think that these folks are likely to be discussing religion seriously on a message board.

I personally don't have anything like a daily practice of religion. I try to be kind to myself and those around me, but I don't have any routine practice. I attend services on Sundays, but they contain little in the way of ritual. They are often thought provoking and induce discussions on the way home with my wife, but that's about the extent of it. There is a certain strengthening of resolve to live a worthy life that I get from participating in services regularly; by slowing down and thinking explicitly about who I want to be and how I live, I feel refreshed.

 

[BruceDLimber]

No, my religious practice as a Baha'i is not in any way like the "opiate" that he described.

And while we meet weekly for some things, our basic cycle is every nineteen days.

Nor, BTW, do I agree with the terminology of calling it a "fix."

Best,

Bruce

 

[evearael]

Marx described religion as an instrument of oppression.

He also described marriage like that. Marx was consumed by the notion of class (power) struggles imbedded in all relationships and institutions. I can break out Capital, Volume I if you'd like.

Marx coined the term "opiate of the masses" to describe religion. Is your religious believe/practice in any way similar to a drug addiction? Do you have a regularity about your practice without which you could not function? Is Marx's idea antithetical to correct religious belief? Is your practice rather a way of life than a regular fix? How frequent is your religious routine?

No. No. Define 'correct religious belief.' Why the distinction between way of life and a regular fix? Define fix in this context. More irregular than I would like.

 

[uumckk16]

Every second of my life is a religious experience. I'm just more aware of it sometimes then others.

:yes: