Thread by @RodericDay

A lot of this Marxism vs. Religion discussion seems to be approached by people trying to show off how inclusive and open-minded they are, rather than breaking down the problem into constituent elements and explaining how to tackle them.

The problem with unchecked religious organizing is real and concrete.

The case of coup-era Bolivia is a very clear example of radicalized cops on the streets chanting prayers, before they charge in to slaughter indigenous people.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RodericDay/status/1197718756631482368

ETIM in China is another example of the US funding religious radicalism as a geopolitical weapon. In this case, Wahhabism within Islam.

https://mobile.twitter.com/sarhanabdelbsir/status/1356102416408707072

We cannot forget about our friend Adrian Zenz of course.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RodericDay/status/1287423589902430211

I really like this lecture by Vijay Prashad where he breaks down the origins of Wahhabism in relation to Nasserism, an emancipatory socialist project.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RodericDay/status/1287439350733639682

The US has the insane power projection capacity to both 1) fund Evangelicals in Cuba, 2) turn around and blast Cuba with propaganda about how repressive they are.

The same occurs all over the globe. See here a catholic service in Venezuela.
theguardian.com/world/2019/feb…

Basically every major religion offers modern examples of weaponization:

- Hinduism -> Hindutva, pogroms
- Islam -> Wahhabism, terrorism
- Judaism -> Zionism, apartheid
- Buddhism -> Zen Buddhism, Manchuria
- Christianity -> ...I'm too familiar with it to pick just one example

Now, does this mean Marxists are anti-religion? Of course not.

As Marx put it,

>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.

Religious Marxists certainly have achieved lots, see e.g. Liberation Theology resistance in Latin America.

In North America today religion offers non-commercial spaces to congregate, cultural life outside Marvel movies, a coherent code of ethical values and practices.

We have so much to learn from religion.

From "Marx's Philosophical Context" we learn that before political economy, Marx was grappling with religion.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RodericDay/status/1362264518609563650

Malcolm X was another incredible revolutionary figure who expressed that religion had an inarguably positive effect on him, and he used its power (as organization, as rhetoric) to chill White Supremacists to their bones.

Any talk of having to mentally purge oneself from religion to make space for Marxism... it would be chauvinistic, I'd say. In all likelihood, for any religious person, especially those who practice diligently, the two beliefs will reconcile in some important and powerful way.

As for a Marxist-Leninist state? Or any revolutionary state?

It should allow religion to thrive and develop, but it should also ensure that it is fully kept in check and monitored. Treated seriously, in short.

"Unchecked religious freedom" is nonsense.
npr.org/2010/07/21/128…

In fact, one example of *not* treating religion seriously is that of Western Marxists (and other radlibs) calling themselves "atheist" while remaining completely culturally christian.

They understand socialism in terms of the virtuosity of poverty and suffering and penance.

They don't pray and are even hostile to religion, but then you hear the ridiculous way in which they talk about Solidarity For Palestine while attacking DPRK as an Insane Regime, and you realize something's wrong with them.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RodericDay/status/1313489624581517314

They didn't move past religion in any *material* way, they just did some abstract negation in their heads.

Like a kid who rebells against an abusive parent rhetorically, and sadly begins to repeat all of their abusive patterns in practice as an adult.

How do I not end on a soggy "both sides" note?

Well, I think in the end Marxism, born out in part of Marx's religious study, does aim to take a lot of the space religion takes in people's lives.

It offers explanations, it offers a Big Book, it even offers a moral north star.

However this doesn't necessarily mean a displacement. What we find is that a lot of benevolent and serious religious people take up revolutionary politics easily, and people with revolutionary politics do just fine interacting with religious communities.

It's a bit kumbaya perhaps, but e.g. a Marxist Muslim friend agrees that the secular state needs to keep religion in check, and I agree with them that Islam put a lot Marxist ideas poetically and beautifully before Marx was even born.

Same with other religions.

It doesn't need to be a tug of war or a fight or a displacement. Maybe we all just grow together towards each other?