HI
religion the opiate of the world
It was Karl Marx who made the statement,and bearing in mind he was writing in the nineteenth century when religion played much more of central role in peoples lives ,I believe he was making an accurate observation .
I think there are now in today's world many 'opiates of the people'.
Here in the UK for instance football (soccer) entertainment and individualism has largely replaced religion as the 'opiate' of choice
Some years ago I had a very bad dental abscess, it was the worst pain I have ever experienced.Fortunately the dentist sent me home with some very strong (opiate) painkillers, after taking one I felt great,relaxed ,sleepy, pain free ,and without a care, and I could understand why some would want more, it wasn't an unpleasant experience.(I'm not advocating drug use here)
I think all these things are addictive in nature (particularly religion) and having spent 30+ years in the babylonian church system. I now realise what an addictive thing it was and why it is so hard for many to come out.Perhaps Marx had more insight regarding this issue than we give him credit for.
Dave UK