INDEX

S.NO.

CONTENTS

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

INTRODUCTION

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

COMPARISONS

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AIMS & OBJECTIVES:

To understand the concept of Religion given by Karl Marx and Max Weber and also is to draw the convergences and divergences between the views of Karl Marx and Max Weber on religion. The tools used in this study are with help of Secondary Sources.

APPROACHES:
The approach and methodology used in this project are comparative and historical. The Comparative method in Sociology generally refers to sociological analysis that involves comparison of social processes between nation states or across different types of society- Capitalist and Socialist. Historical method involves a continuous , unsystematic search for the information and knowledge about past events related to the life persons, a group, a society, or the world.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION:

A religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Aspects of religion include narrative, symbolism, beliefs, and practices that are supposed to give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life. Whether the meaning centers on a deity or deities, or an ultimate truth, religion is commonly identified by the practitioner's prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things, and is often interwoven with society and politics.

It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws and ethics and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience.

The term "religion" refers both to the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[2] but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively. The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures, with continental differences. Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral

codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion is also often described as a "way of life" or a life stance

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

VIEWS OF MAX WEBER ON RELIGION

Max Weber (1864-1920), a German Thinker is known as the founding father of Interpretating sociology. He is neither a philosopher nor an engineer by training, but a jurist and a historian. His university training was essentially legal .Webers methodology may be explained to a large extent in terms of the relation between science and action, or sociology and politics. He wants a neutral science which would at same time be useful to man of action, to politics. His historical vision is closer to Tocquevillis. He observed and recognised European situations which influenced his mode of conceptual expression. He also devoted himself to the comparative study of great religion and civilizations. He was a descendant of the historical and idealistic school, and it was in reaction to this school that the tired to work out his conception of a comprehension science of social reality. Certain aspects of his thought derive from his three fold training as: Jurist:-The emphasis on the subjectivity of meaning derives from his legal orientation. .Economist:-his experience as an economical led him to reflect upon the relation between economic theory, or the rationalizing reconstruction of behaviour and economic reality, concrete and often incoherent. As experienced by man. Politician:-a passion for liberty, a passion for German greatness, and hostility towards Wilhelm 2nd these three attitudes were reconciled only in the conception of parliamentary reform of the German constitution.

He gave the concept of ideal type in the sociological method of study. He also gave the concept of authority, of social class and bureaucracy and also the methodologies in sociological studies are his other valuable contribution. Max Weber published four major texts on religion in a context of economic sociology and his rationalization thesis: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism (1915), The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism (1915), and Ancient Judaism (1920). In his sociology, Weber uses the German term "Verstehen" to describe his method of interpretation of the intention and context of human action. Although he believes some generalized statements about social life can be made, he was interested in linkages and sequences, in historical narratives and particular cases. Weber argues for making sense of religious action on its own terms. A religious group or individual is influenced by all kinds of things, he says, but if they claim to be acting in the name of religion, we should attempt to understand their perspective on religious grounds first. Weber gives religion credit for shaping a person's image of the world, and this image of the world can affect their view of their interests, and ultimately how they decide to take action. For Weber, religion is best understood as it responds to the human need for theodicy and soteriology. Human beings are troubled, he says, with the question of theodicy the question of how the extraordinary power of a divine god may be reconciled with the imperfection of the world that he has created and rules over. People need to know, for example, why there is undeserved good fortune and suffering in the world. Religion offers people soteriological answers, or answers that provide opportunities for salvation

relief from suffering, and reassuring meaning. The pursuit of salvation, like the pursuit of wealth, becomes a part of human motivation. Because religion helps to define motivation, Weber believed that religion (and specifically Protestant Calvinism) actually helped to give rise to modern capitalism, as he asserted in his most famous and controversial work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In The Protestant Ethic, Weber argues that capitalism arose in Europe in part because of how the belief in predestination was interpreted by everyday English Puritans. Puritan theology was based on the Calvinist notion that not everyone would be saved; there was only a specific number of the elect who would avoid damnation, and this was based sheerly on God's predetermined will and not on any action you could perform in this life. Official doctrine held that one could not ever really know whether one was among the elect.

Practically, Weber noted, this was difficult psychologically: people were (understandably) anxious to know whether they would be eternally damned or not. Thus Puritan leaders began assuring members that if they began doing well financially in their businesses, this would be one unofficial sign they had God's approval and were among the saved but only if they used the fruits of their labor well. This along with the rationalism implied by monotheism led to the development of rational bookkeeping and the calculated pursuit of financial success beyond what one needed simply to live and this is the "spirit of capitalism." Over time, the habits associated with the spirit of capitalism lost their religious significance, and rational pursuit of profit became its own aim.

The Protestant Ethic thesis has been much critiqued, refined, and disputed, but is still a lively source of theoretical debate in sociology of religion. Weber also did considerable work in world religions, including Hinduism and

Buddhism. From early in Webers life, the impact of the confluence of religious beliefs and political and economic interest within his family was obvious, A source of personal tension and a marked strain throughout his life, Weber turned his analytical skills to an investigation of their fundamental relationships with such thoroughness and creative genius that sociology still looks to his Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism as the classical study in the field. In this work Weber sought to demonstrate that economic factors do not represent a constant and independent variable to which all others stand in dependence. This, namely the treatment of the economic factor as the paramount and determining influence, Weber believed, was Marx's major weakness and ultimate failure. The Protestant ethic was for Weber a sub-species of social phenomena within the category 'religion.' And religion, Weber was quick to point out, is decidedly distinct from 'magic,' the former intentionally rational, the latter not. Weber refined a functional definition of magical religion before he turned his attention to rational religion and Protestant Christianity. Magical religions, says Weber, are thoroughly conservative designed to "safeguard the traditions," maintaining the. 'taboo' as non-abstract rules of finite specificity, and tend by and large to develop polytheistic and pantheistic world-views. The emergence of rational religion, displacing magicians and shamans with priests and prophets, had an opposite impact upon society with the primary norm being ethics, i.e., "an abstract body of rules governing all conduct under all conditions, . ,"51 "For Weber," explains Rossides, "religion was not rational in the sense of being true or scientifically valid, but rational to the degree that it departed from magic." The investigation of the relationship between religious values and economic interests was triggered by a number of factors. In the first place, Weber noticed that Protestants, particularly Protestants of certain sects, were the chief captains of industry and possessed more wealth and economic means

than other religious groups, notably Catholics. Therefore, he wanted to ascertain whether there is an essential harmony between the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. He also sought to find out whether and to what extent a cluster of values in the religions of India, China and the Middle East facilitated or hindered the development of capitalism. Now, in order to overcome the methodological problem of defining Capitalism and Protestant Ethic, Max Weber made use of the concept of ideal type. Protestant Ethic does not refer to any particular theological doctrine but a set of values and belief systems that make up a religious ideal. Capitalism, in its ideal type, is thought of by Weber to be that complex activity designed specifically to maximize profit through the careful and intentional exercise of rational organization and management of production. But capitalism as an economic enterprise designed to maximize profit existed all over the world. However, there is something unique about Western capitalismthe idea of unlimited accumulation beyond the notion of maximum profit and the conviction that the desire for profit must be tempered (mediated) by discipline and science, not by speculation and adventure. Weber now wished to draw religion and economics under his analytical spell, believing, as he did, that the relationship was complex and multidimensional. A prime target for his scrutiny was his ready detection of the mutuality of influences between religion and economics, particularly the empirical fact of social stratification and religious behaviour correlations. The initial impetus for Weber's famous work, (1904-1905), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, centered around two general observations, viz., (1) in countless places in the world great material achievements had resulted from the work of monastic orders dedicated to a life of the spirit, and (2) specifically ascetic Protestant sects were noted for their economic success. "There appeared to (be) a paradoxically positive relationship between ascetic religious belief and economic enterprise.

By looking specifically at Calvinism, Weber began to see indisputable signs of causal correlations. Weber identified a number of values embedded in Protestantism which are in harmony with the spirit of capitalism. 1. The shift from ritualistic and other-worldly orientation to down-toearth pragmatism: The finite mind of man cannot comprehend the infinite mind of the absolute and transcendent God who created the world for His own glory. Therefore, there is no point in indulging in mysticism; rather, man should seek to understand the natural order. This is essentially an anti-ritualistic attitude that favours the development of science and rational investigation. 2. Changed Attitude towards Work: Protestant Ethic proclaims work as a virtue, something not only good and desirable but contributing to the glory of God as well. Since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden with the punishment that they should henceforth earn their livelihood with the sweat of their brows, the Catholic ethic regarded work as a punitive necessity, the reminder of the original sin, and hence valued leisure. The Protestant Ethic not only encourages gainful enterprises but also insists that work is a virtue in itself since it contributes to the glory of God. 3. The Concept of Calling: This idea emerged from the Calvinist doctrine of predestination according to which every soul is predestined at birth for heaven or hell and that nothing an individual docs in this life can change his ultimate fate. But there are signs by which God indicates to every individual whether he is among the elect, success in life being the most important one. Since every man is anxious to know if he is marked for salvation or damnation, he should select a calling, a vocation, work hard at it and be successful. The economic impact of this doctrine was profound indeed. No longer was it necessary for 'religious' men to take the vow of poverty, enter a monastery, undertake a pilgrimage or indulge in self-torture, some of the Catholic means

of salvation popular in the Middle Ages. The new doctrine exhorts men to seek gainful enterprises, accumulate wealth and prove their destiny. 4. The New Attitude toward the Collection of Interest on Loans: The theological doctrine of Catholicism proscribed the collection of interest on loans. This prohibition discouraged the operation, at least open and legal operation, of lending houses and the accumulation of capital.lt was in 1545 that Calvin wrote the famous letter giving theological sanction to the collection of interest on loans, thus approving in Calvinism a practice that had been proscribed in Catholicism. This prompted a spurt of economic activity: establishment of lending houses, new investments, and new floating capital. 5. Strictures on Alcoholism: Protestant ethic prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages; there is no comparable theological doctrine in Catholicism. Indeed, prohibition movement in Western societies was always spearheaded by Protestants. 6. Encouragement of Literacy and Learning: Based on the conviction that every man should read his own Bible rather than depend on priestly interpretations, Protestant ethic placed great emphasis on literacy and learning which led to significant breakthrough in the sphere of education, leading to the development of mass education (rather than education of the clergy) and of specialized skills. 7. Rejection of Holidays: The Catholic calendar is full of holy days and almost every holy day is a holiday. This is consistent with the Catholic belief that one needs leisure to honour God with ritualistic celebrations. However, since work contributes to the glory of God in Protestant ethic, there is no need for holy days and celebrations. This means factories and other business enterprises can function seven days a week throughout the year, thus making maximum utilization of capital and other investments leading to greater productivity.

8. Protestant Asceticism: Protestant ethic also incorporates the notion that earthly things and flesh belong to the order of sin and death and therefore, one should abstain from the pleasures of the world. Thus, on the one hand, Protestant ethic exhorts people to "accumulate and accumulate" and on the other hand, it forbids the use of wealth for enjoyment. This means a ceaseless pursuit of profit, not for the sake of enjoying the pleasures of life, but simply for the satisfaction of producing more and more, undoubtedly a condition par excellence for the development of capitalism. Now having established the essential harmony between Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, Weber turned to other religions to see if there is in them a discernible cluster of values comparable to Protestant ethic that is favourable to the rise of capitalism. He found a variety of non-religious social and economic conditions conducive to the development of capitalism in China and India but the ethical system of Confucianism and the doctrine of Karma in Hinduism were not particularly favourable. Moreover, the combination of religious values that constituted the Protestant ethic was unique: an unusual blend of two apparently inconsistent notions, namely limitless accumulation of wealth and abstention from enjoyment. It would be erroneous to assume that Weber replaced a one-sided economic determinism with a one-sided "ideological determinism." He considered a variety of factorssocial, economic, and politicalbut the confluence of values inherent in religion played a central role in the matrix of inter-relationships. Finally, Weber called scientific attention to three forms of relationships which exist between social organization and religious ideas, and which he believed warranted further investigation. These ideas were as follows: "First, social groups with particular economic interests often show themselves to be more receptive to some religious ideas than to others. For example, peasants typically incline toward some form of nature worship and aristocrats toward religious ideas compatible with their sense of status and dignity. Second, religious ideas lead to the formation of certain

groups, such as monastic orders, guilds of magicians, or a clergy, and these groups may develop quite extensive economic activities. Third, the distinction between the elite and the masses is as pertinent to the religious sphere as to othersthe gap between the elite, and the masses poses a problem with which each of the great world religions has had to cope ... "54 In the Sociology of Religion, Weber lays out his thesis that people pursue their interests, and that religious leaders and structures help people achieve those goals. In this way religion provides the tools for both stability and social change. Various trends are seen in how this process develops. First, he describes the importance of magical beliefs for early society, being the explanations of how acts became efficacious. Magicians are endowed with charisma, that is, the power to accomplish necessary tasks, like healing, facilitating crop growth and protecting the village. Once a magician proves that he can do the things he claims, the village endows him and his acts with symbolic representation. As Swidler describes, Continuing encounters between magicians and their clients lead to a process of abstraction in which magicians give symbolic form to their claims to extraordinary powers, finally creating a new realm of experience As these acts became symbols in the community, systems of gods were created which the magicians manipulated to help the community (or hinder, in the case of curses). Magicians, however, were utilized for single events, and were on an on-call basis. Their jobs were secure as long as they remained effective and as long as the village continued to develop needs requiring his services. Further, the symbol systems and gods became embedded into the community structure, and as political systems developed, the gods came to represent those political communities (p. 17). As time went on and specific gods were found to be more effective at producing

military victory and economic prosperity, those gods grew in prominence and monotheism became more dominant. However, the creation and maintenance of these symbols, as well as the gods, developed into the need to systematize and regulate them. This need produced a priesthood whose function in society was to maintain these symbol systems and create rational systems of thought to cohere the symbols and gods. Weber gives several different functions of the priests, contrasting them with magicians, for example, the priests professional equipment of special knowledge, fixed doctrine, and vocational qualifications, which brings him into contrast with sorcerers, prophets and other types of religious functionaries who exert their influence by virtue of their personal gifts (charisma) made manifest in miracle and revelation (p. 29). Stemming from the systematization of symbols and gods by the priests is a culture-wide acceptance of concepts such as rules, sin and taboo. Some of the symbols that the priests systematized were rules that the community must follow in order for the gods to obey the magicians, or to act favorably towards the people. These systemizations became the foundation for laws and ethical standards. The next players to develop in this system are the prophets. Similar to magicians they are empowered by the community because of their gift of charisma. However, the difference is that the purpose of the prophet is to disseminate a new doctrine or ethical standard not to perform magic. So when cultural changes produced various injustices, a prophet would arise to reveal a new doctrine to supplant the old system, thus correcting these injustices. It is at this point that the structure is laid for the larger pattern of society. First, members of a community have material interests, be they food, shelter or protection from enemies. Magicians at one time helped them with these

needs, but as society stabilized into better developed political systems and as population density grew, the random practices of magicians were systematized by priests through a process of rationalization, which developed into structures to support standardized community practice for efficient control, placation and supplication of the gods. These systems developed into bureaucracies, a concept that is foundational to Webers view of social stabilization, the maintenance of cultural symbols and the distribution of goods and services to the modern state. He carries over the concept of the prophet, pointing to individuals who, because of charismatic ideas, produce changes in the direction of society. For example, Luther and Calvin evolved religious ideas that developed into an asceticism that allowed capitalism to establish itself and become the dominant social and economic structure in the West. The ideas of a prophet, once they become established and rationalized, then become bureaucratized and wait for the next prophet to come along and start the cycle again.

VIEWS OF KARL MARX ON RELIGION:

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a socialist, theoretician and an organiser, a major figure in the history of economics and philosophic thought and a great social prophet. He is known to the world as the architect of socialism and the champion of communism. He is called the Gallileo and Gardner of Social Science. He was the only person who gave an economic description of human history. He is called the Father of Scientific Socialism. He was a German scholar, a historian, an economist, a political propagandist, a journalist, a great humanitarian and a philosopher.

Marx is an ardent opposer of religion. According to him, religion is a capitalistic method to maintain social inequality, injustice and oppression. It

is the assistant and feeder of capital oppression. In its lead, Capitalists carry on their command acts (misdeeds in society). Religion is a capitalists instrument (machine). Like behaviour of middle class and moral system. Marx is in favour of destruction of religious beliefs and religion. Marx is atheist and does not believe in God. Marx says that religious beliefs are gift to the society. About the origin of religion Marx says that when man could not understand the mysteries of nature, misconceptions started growing in the mind about them which gave birth to religion. Religion arose due to personifications of natural powers, man has imagined various different Gods. In this way the preliminary form of religion was Polytheism. But slowly man started imagining that the creator of this whole world is the Supreme God. Thus came the conception of Monotheism. According to him, previously religion had a tribal form, then the conception of national Gods came into existence. The tribal Gods was invited till the tribes whereas the influence national Gods was widespread in the geographical area of the nation. In this way, like Maxmueller, Marx too believes that religion originated due to nature worship and natural powers. According to Marx religion is a reflection of the realities or the actual world . If a logical and intellectual description of the actual world is done than the influence of the religion starts diminishing .Marx has always been constant oppose of religion when he became the member of Young Hegelian , he the took active part in the struggle against religion to the extent that he wrote an article even against his professor of religious science. In 1841, YOUNG HEGILIAN declared Christianity as immoral and warned that they are going to take old god out from heaven and bring him in the witness box of the court.

Marx praised the thinkers who were atheistic. He also praised Epicurus and Lakroshius Karus (atheist thinkers). As a result of Epicurus atheistic thinking he had to become an object of hatred the fathers and churches for a long time. Marx also studied Lakroshius Karus gravely who tried to give human brain from the hands of religion and raise the servants of Gods (man). Marx said that whatever proofs are given for the existence of god. They themselves condemn his presence. He has considered human self consciousness as the height god and he looks at god with hatred. According to Marx, Religion is the opium for the people whose lustre makes a man believes in fate. According to him, Religion develops in man, in activity and slavishness. According to him, Religion is an instrument of oppression. In the hands of capitalists, an anesthetise by which the capitalists faint the revolutionary labourers .Religion is against change it is to partial towards and protector of the ruling class and its rule .It is an apparatus of spiritual oppression and slavery of oppressed class. In the Marxist thoughts religion does not have any place. He believes that in socialistic society religion will die a natural death no such thing as morality or self proved morality will exist. There wont buy any value of aligned values. Whatever morality will remain socialistic society it would be based on specific, economic circumstances. Marx has not only considered religion as a means of oppression of masses but he also opines that to a great extent, religion can be held responsible for social problems not one but several evils were born in history but superstition did not raise their voice against their injustice and oppression. Marx considers aspect of religion to be very cunning which stopped the development of history and civilization. Marx says given religion a name of opium having which people instead of moving on the path of development steep in the dirty layers of downfall.

Lenin has cleared the views of Marx further .All says that religion is a form of intellectual oppression which burdens. The people who constantly work for others and who are leading a life of misery and poverty. The concepts of rebirth and belief in the life after death, make the oppressed inactive, polite and tolerant towards the oppressors religion teaches them to be patient and consoles them of a happiness and peace in heaven in greed to have peace in the second life, he accepts whatsoever conditions posed by the oppression them as a gift of god. He does not dare to stand against them so he is given sleeping pills in the name of religion, second world, heaven and God. Marx considered religion to be a barrier in human development because it has always stopped a conflicting and encourage man from raising his head but he beliefs that the modern proletariat would get free of the hands of the religion because most of the modern hands working humans educated through modern system and living in cities leave religion and the problems of heaven to the popes, fathers and capitalist. He himself had the best happy life on this earth. He instead of religion takes support of science and searches answer to his problems in science and not in religion. Marxists religion is an individual subject; they do not consider religion to be related to state. They believe that religion and religious organisation should not be given any help by the state. Every person should be free to believe or not to believe in religion. Citizens should not be discriminated on the basis of religion. State and church should be discriminated and the law and code of punishment should not be made on the basis of religion. Marxism is materialistic that is why it is an ardent oppose of religion. He has suggested some solutions for the struggle with the struggle with religion: 1. Practical education should be in the educational institutions against religion.

2. Along with Class Conflict, religion should also form it and remove religion. 3. As religion developed due to ignorance and it should be removed by the spread of education. According to Marx whoever is not happy on earth he consoles himself of the pleasures of peace of heaven. Including himself as weak and incapable in the conflict with nature and conflict for his freedom , he accepts God in the supreme. His life is so painful that he tries to find satisfaction in God. Marx, the earliest of the three thinkers, actually wrote very little about religion. So whilesociology of religion would be difficult to pull from his writings, we arent left with a complete absence of Marxs opinions on the subject. Much of Marxs direct statements on religion come in the first several paragraphs of his Contribution to the Critique of Hegels Philosophy of Right: Introduction. Here we find Marxs classic statement on religion, that it is the opium of the people. However, taking this as Marxs whole, or even representative perspective on religion would be to rip this statement from its context. Marx begins the Contribution to the Critique with the bold opening line, the criticism of religion has been largely completed; and the criticism of religion is the premise of all criticism. One can interpret this to imply that Marx viewed the critique of religion to be the most foundational criticism in which philosophers can engage, if such criticism is the premise of all criticism. He restates the strength of this position shortly after with this statement: The criticism of religion disillusions man so that he will think, act and fashion his reality as a man [sic] who has lost his illusions and regained his reason; so that he will revolve about himself as his own true sun. He clarifies his intent with the following: This state, this society, produces religion which is an inverted world consciousness, because they are an inverted world. What I see Marx as saying in these series of statements, is

that the critique of religion is foundational because religion produces the inverted illusion that the world of religion (the heavens, the gods) is the real and that the physical world we inhabit as humans is a shadow of the real, much as was described in Kant and Hegel. So in his criticism of religion, he attacks any belief system that inverts the material world from being the primary reality. The importance of the critique of religion is that it reframes the intellectual discussion, so that we can talk about the problems of the material world in which we find ourselves embedded and not a spiritual world that, in Marxs mind, seems to be irrelevant to social structures and problems. Marx clarifies his position, stating that Man, who has found in the fantastic reality of heaven, where he sought a supernatural being, only his own reflection, will no longer be tempted to find only the semblance of himselfa non-human beingwhere he seeks and must seek his true reality. Religion is indeed mans self-consciousness and self-awareness. Here he reveals his ontological hand, which looks very similar to what we will later see in Durkheim and Weber, that religion is a reflection of humanity and not of a god. Marx makes the claim that the god(s) we sought in our religions were actually ourselves, as we have apparently discovered through the course of recent historical events, presumably modernism. Not only is religion a representation of humanity, but further, it is a representation of our own self-consciousness. He goes a little deeper when he says, Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopedic compendium, its logic in popular form, implying that to study the construction of beliefs about religion is to discover deeper streams in how humanity sees itself as a whole. The study of religion would not simply be a study of the gods, but of society and of humanity itself. As a reprieve from his apparent harassment of religion, Marx softens his critiques by telling us one of the primary purposes for religious beliefs:

Religious suffering is at the same time an expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. Thus, the escapism that religion allows the masses, points to the necessity to escape from something. That something is the soulless conditions of a society that does not care for its people, for a system that dehumanizes workers, and structures that enslave the people in cycles of oppression. The fact that religion persists is a sign that conditions persist that require a sublimated expression of inhumanity. The alienation that religion describes between humans and god represents the alienation that individuals feel from their material existence. Further, the god that they worship, the perfect, loving, creative, free being that is idealized in religion is actually the idealized selves that humans could be if we were not constrained by the external forces of society. In longing for reunion with god, salvation, we are actually longing for a reunion with ourselves. Marx explains: The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of men, it is a demand for their real happiness. The call to abandon their illusions about their condition is a call to abandon a condition which requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, the embryonic criticism of this vale of tears of which religion is the halo.

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE VIEWS OF MAX WEBER AND KARL MARX ON RELIGION

DIVERGENCES:

KARL MARX
1. APPROACHES Weber's sociology is the foundation of scientific sociology of religion in a sense of typological and objective understanding. Weber established the understanding sociology of the subjective meaning of religious action or inaction. To make such knowledge of the understanding objective, he founded the methodology of the ideal type and the elective affinity of causal relationships. The goal of Weber's sociology of religion is to understand religious action from the subjective meaning of the actor rationally and also emphatically. Weber argues for making sense of religious action on its own terms. A religious group or individual is influenced by all kinds of things, he says, but if they claim to be acting in the name of religion, we should attempt to understand their perspective on religious grounds first. Weber gives

MAX WEBER
Karl Marx's sociology is the evolutionary law of class society on materialistic basis. It is to establish the laws of religion and society, or to extract the essence of religious action. The goal is to formulate and evaluate the social function of religion as Marx has mentioned that religion was the opium of the mass.

2. BELIEVE IN GOD

Marx is an ardent opposer of religion. According to him, religion is a capitalistic method to maintain social inequality, oppression. assistant injustice It is feeder and and the of

religion credit for shaping a person's image of the world, and this image of the world can affect their view of their interests, and ultimately how they decide to take action.

capital lead, their Religion

oppression. Capitalists in is a command

In

its on acts

carry

(misdeeds

society). capitalists

instrument (machine). Like behaviour of middle class and moral system. Marx is in favour of destruction of religious beliefs and religion. He is an atheist and makes the claim that the god(s) we sought in our religions were actually ourselves, as we have apparently discovered through the course of recent historical only but is further, events, religion it is a a presumably modernism. Not representation of humanity, representation of our own self-consciousness. Marx believes that religion originated due to nature worship and natural powers. According to Marx religion is a reflection of the realities or the actual world .If a logical and of intellectual the actual description

3. SOCIAL CHANGE

Weber lays out his thesis that people pursue their interests, and that religious leaders and structures help people achieve those goals. In this way religion provides the tools for both stability

and social change. Various world is done than trends are seen in how this influence process develops. of the

the

religion

starts diminishing. but he also opines that to a great extent, religion can be held responsible problems not for one social but

several evils were born in history but superstition did not raise their voice against their injustice and oppression. Marx considers aspect of religion to be very cunning which stopped the development of history and civilization. Marx says given religion a name of opium having which people instead of moving on the path of development steep in the dirty layers of downfall. According to Marx, Religion is the opium for the people whose lustre makes a man believes in fate. According to him, Religion develops in man, him, in activity According is and to an slavishness.

Religion

instrument of oppression. In the hands of capitalists, an anesthetise by which the

capitalists revolutionary

faint

the

labourers

.Religion is against change it is to partial towards and protector of the ruling class and its rule of .It is an apparatus spiritual

oppression and slavery of oppressed class.

CONVERGENCES:

Both Weber and Marx believed in the literacy and spread of education. Like Marx, Weber sees the driving force of history as material interests and not ideas, as found in religious beliefs. So in tying religion to the spread of capitalism, as he does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, he attempts to show that the ideas (Webers classic switchman metaphor) behind the religious beliefs of Calvinists steer the direction of the forces that were already in motion. The combination of technologies that facilitated capitalism and the ascetic habits of the Calvinists allowed capitalism to flourish in Europe and spread to the Americas.

CONCLUSION:
Marx and Weber represent the foundational sociological traditions

examining the "institution" of religion. They are standing on the outside, looking in. As any scientist looks at any subject, objectivity necessitates a dispassionate examination of the evidence. Such studies are very different from the journey of faith "from within". While the "institutions" of "religion" may be able to be explained within the framework of history, sociology, psychology, etc., these explanations neither negate, nor diminish the journey of the believer. They simply represent the attempt to explain the larger structures and patterns that are observable in every culture throughout history. Marx and Weber represent the objectivist, or modernist tradition within sociology. A different perspective might be taken from a postmodern sociologist, or an anthropologist who might look at religion through the lens of the believer--to explore "what it is to believe". Theologians, taking the same scientific approach found in the sociologists, yet study religion from the perspective of the believer, "from the inside", with the goal of applying the complexities of faith to the complexities of the world, making sense of ritual, explaining belief, and putting belief into the larger context of the lived experience of the church and the individual believers. None of these various perspectives is inherently superior than another, and none seeks to dethrone the other from scientific credibility. So to study the institutions of religion, as did Marx, Durkheim and Weber, while at first glance might seem at first glance heretical to the believer, actually helps produce building blocks of knowledge that the theologian, believer, evangelist, and any other person may use to understand the workings of the religions in the larger institution of society.

BIBILIOGRAPHY:

1. Ninian Smart. "The Study and Classification of Religions," in Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition. 2. 2. Weber, Max. Sociology of World Religions: Introduction (1920). Max Weber." Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 3. Weber, Max The Protestant Ethic and "The Spirit of Capitalism" (1905). Translated by Stephen Kalberg (2002), Roxbury Publishing Company, pp. 19 & 35; Weber's references on these pages to "Superstructure" and "base" are unambiguous references to Marxism's base/superstructure theory. 4. Periodical, Sociology Volume 250, September, 1999, 'Max Weber' 5. Sica, Alan (2004). Max Weber and the New Century. London: Transaction Publishers, p. 24. 6. Bendix, Reinhard (July 1, 1977). Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait. University of California Press. 7. Gianfranco Poggi, Weber: A Short Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, 2005, Google Print, p.5 8. Wolfgang Justin Mommsen (1984). Max Weber and German Politics, 1890 1920. University of Chicago Press. pp. 19. 9. Marianne Weber. Last accessed on 18 September 2006. Based on Lengermann, P., & Niebrugge-Brantley, J.(1998). The Women Founders: Sociology and Social Theory 18301930. New York: McGraw-Hill. 10.Essays in Economic Sociology, Princeton University Press, 1999 11.Guenther Roth: "History and sociology in the work of Max Weber", in: British Journal of Sociology, 27(3), 1979 12.Essays in Economic Sociology, Princeton University Press, 1999. 13.Wolfgang J. Mommsen, The Political and Social Theory of Max Weber, University of Chicago Press, 1992, p. 327. 14. Kaesler, Dirk (1989). Max Weber: An Introduction to His Life and Work. University of Chicago Press.