Religion and status-quo

Religion has often been used by the political and economic elite to crush protest movements and demand for change. Religious ideas are used to maintain status-quo. This lends credence to the corroboration of the Marxist theory that religion is used by the capitalist class to legitimize and maintain class interests. The reasons are:

• Religion diverts attention from the real world problems to an imaginary world of gods, goddesses, and concerns of afterlife.

• Religion makes virtue of suffering and suggests that any kind of suffering must be accepted for happiness in afterlife. Some religions like Hinduism and Jainism suggest that the sufferings of the present life are due to sins committed in the past life and to become free from them one has to consume them and suffer.

• Religious priests, saints, and interpreters serve the interests of the dominant people or classes. In their selfish interests they may interpret religion in a manner that serves the interests of the powerful people or classes.

• Religion does not permit one to engage in conflicts and wars, or take up arms against the enemy. Whenever religion is used to encourage people to fight, this is done in extraordinary circumstances, when war is inescapable, and usually to support the king.

• Religion is closely linked to values and norms of society. To follow religion is commonly seen as conforming to the norms and values of society. The culture and social institutions are based on religion and seek justification from religious texts and prevailing religious notions. Ordinarily people conform to norms because this is what the religious expectations are.