The Origin of Religion from the Point of View of Karl Marx and its Criticism based on the Theory of Fītrā (Nature) of Shahid Motahhari

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD of Islamic theology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Department of Islamic Theology and Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

prt/prt.2024.20719

Abstract

One of the most important issuss in the philosophy of religion is the discussion of the origin of religion. Various views have been expressed about this; some who deny the divine and monotheistic religion do not consider an origin for religion other than human factors and human instincts, but according to the views of theists, religion is a divine order and a comprehensive plan from Almighty God to guide mankind. In the meantime, Karl Marx believes that religion teaches man to submit to the conditions in society and the world in which man lives, and it makes people unaware of the injustices they see around them and the society. Marx considers religion as a product of the ruling class to dominate the weak class of society. Marx's principles are in conflict with the theory of fītra, which considers the basis of religion to be divine and claims that humans are naturally inclined to religion. In this article, with a descriptive-analytical method, an attempt is made to investigate and criticize Karl Marx's sociological view on the origin of religion and criticize it from the perspective of Shahid Motahhari. Marx's theory can be rejected with the history of religions, which started from monotheism, and it is against the claim that we attribute a political origin to religion and consider it as a factor for the exploitation of the weak class of society.

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