The Classical Marxist Critiques of Religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin, KautskyIn view of the enormous number of works on Marxism in general and in light of the many books and articles touching on the relationship of Marxism to religion in particular, it may fairly be asked why yet another such work should be produced. My reply is that in eliciting answers to the kinds of questions posed by the methodology I have used, it was necessary to go to the primary sources almost exclusively. This is not to bemoan a sad fate but to affirm that there are notable deficiencies in the secondary sources relevant to my topic. By way of general indictment, I contend that the major difficulty with existing studies of the Marxist critique of religion is that their authors, whether expositors or critics, have failed both to specify their own presuppositions concerning religion and to approach the subject with an adequate comprehension of its many dimensions. Since, in most cases, the reader is equally unprepared, anthropologically, sociologically, psychologically, and historically, for clear and informed thought in this vast and nebulous area, the result has been widespread confusion. As if this were not enough, numerous writers with little more than polemical interests have compounded the confusion by failing to distinguish between religion in general and their own brands of faith in particular. Others have not discriminated between the concepts of metaphysics and the supernatural items of religious belief. |
Contents
MARXS CRITIQUE OF RELIGION | 6 |
THE BEGINNING AND END OF CRITICISM | 13 |
FROM NATURAL RELIGION TO THE RELIGION OF CIVIL SOCIETY | 21 |
THE SUBSTANCE AND FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION Introduction | 42 |
ENGELS CRITIQUE OF RELIGION | 61 |
FROM THE INCEPTION OF RELIGION TO ITS TRANSCENDENCE | 65 |
THE MASKS AND DISGUISES OF RELIGION | 86 |
LENINS CRITIQUE OF RELIGION | 94 |
SHAMEFACED IDEALISM GODBUILDING AND THE DISADVANTAGES OF IMPROVED RELIGION | 114 |
KAUTSKYS CRITIQUE OF RELIGION | 122 |
RELIGION FROM BIBLICAL TIMES TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY | 137 |
THE SUBSTANCE AND FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION | 148 |
STALWART MARXIST OR RENEGADE? | 153 |
CONCLUSION | 158 |
| 163 | |
RELIGION AND THE UNITY OF MARX ENGELS AND LENIN | 108 |
Other editions - View all
The Classical Marxist Critiques of Religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Kautsky D.B. McKown Limited preview - 2012 |
The Classical Marxist Critiques of Religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Kautsky D.B. McKown No preview available - 2011 |
The Classical Marxist Critiques of Religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Kautsky D.B. McKown No preview available - 1975 |
Common terms and phrases
agnosticism alien animal animistic Anti-Dühring atheism Bociurkiw bourgeois Bruno Bauer Capital Catholicism century church concept concerning consciousness criticism Critique of Hegel's critique of religion denied Despite Early Christianity economic elements ethical etiology of religion existence exploitation faith fear Feuerbach fideism Foreign Languages Publishing Friedrich Engels functions of religion German Ideology god-building gods Gorky hereinafter referred human Ibid ignored important Jesus Jews Judaism Karl Kautsky Karl Marx Kautsky's Languages Publishing House Manuscripts of 1844 Marx and Engels Marx-Engels Marx's thought Marxist Materialism and Empirio-Criticism materialist MESC MESW mode of production modern morality Moscow natural religion Peasant phenomena political position primitive Christianity proletariat Protestantism radical relationship religious belief reveal revolutionary Roman ruling class sanctioning function scientific significance social forces Socialism and Religion society socio-economic spontaneous struggle theology Tylor's unity V. I. Lenin views on religion wrote York Young Hegelians young Marx