This is the one thing I always keep in mind and hope other marxist atheists do as well. In essence (and correct me), what you’re saying is religion like a gun for example, is a tool that can be used for oppression but it can also be vice versa. Religion can also be a strong motivator that unites people and helps them fight back against oppression as we’re seeing in places like Palestine & Iran.
Did I get that right?
I appreciate your response, it makes me feel better about myself.
I’m very interested in those selected works of Mao and his speeches you bought up, is there a name for these works?
Assalamualakum brother, I am with you. I will take your suggestion into account. Though bringing up philosophers, their philsophy, and explaining all these terms like socialism might be a little hard for her to understand. I think on top of the things I already show and explain to her (Beliefs, culture, anti-imperialism, etc.), the next step is probably to explain to her the violence our sect (sunnis) have done to shias in an effort to gain sympathy from her.
Hello, no not at all. In fact, being a sunni, I’m very proud of the revolutionary fighting that Iran (that is predominately Shia) is doing compared to sunnis in other Middle East countries that choose to side with imperialists. I’ve actually been working on getting rid of the prejudice that my mother has towards Shias by showing her the work they’ve done and explaining their differences which aren’t a betrayal of Islam.
Thank you, you give me some hope and relief. I once though brought up your point about scientists and other professionals still believing in religion to an atheist and they responded with “There is a cognitive dissonance. Relativity of simultaneity automatically rules out most religious metaphysical interpretations.”
I hope to not only see this realized more but I hope more leftists also realize even if material condition were met, people will still seek out spirituality. Like humans are complex and multifaceted creatures, its reductive to think that mankind are only just material objects who reason along material lines. If the “strategy” is to simply attack a means in which people produce social cohesion then the movement is bound for failure. Movements die when they lose contact with the masses.
Look at modern political outlooks, it is predominately despair over meaning and purpose, you can tie economics into it, but it fails when it is seen as “economics can give you the purpose you desire” because it doesnt. We have social systems that exist outside markets (still tied to and influence it and are influenced by it) that do the heavy lifting of applying parameters to how we collectively act and understand things.
I feel you. I’m gonna be graduating this upcoming semester, and one thing I think about is how am gonna cope with the fact I won’t get 1-3 month long vacations anymore. Its the one thing I always look forward too. But with a job, what is there to look forward to? Its just gonna be work, work, and work with maybe just a week long break in between.
Working a full 8 hours is also crazy. I’m not even in school for that long. But if its any hope, I heard people don’t really work a full 8 hours. Most of the time people are just wasting time, scrolling on their phones, or gossiping with co-workers apparently.