According to Wikipedia, one of Karl Marx's quotes is "Die Religion ... ist das
Opium des Volkes" which is paraphrased as "religion is the
opium of the people". This must be a phrase that is most quoted
by atheists. For Christians there are two issues. Firstly the connotation that
our faith is somehow related to a deadly and addictive substance is obviously
degrading. Secondly one has to question the veracity of this statement.
As a human being, I certainly feel insulted by such a statement. This is not because I look down upon drug addicts. Rather that I have been accused of needing a substance akin to opium to keep me going through life. Worse still this is nothing like the reality for untold millions of Christians. I myself is far from perfect (ask my wife, sisters, parents, cousins and friends) but they can tell you how faith has changed my life in positive ways. My faith in God has built me up spiritually, emotionally and even surprisingly physically. In just the last three days, I have been lumbered with more work than I could really cope. It is easy to complain and if religion is indeed a drug I will go through each testing period at work merely to survive to the next one. One common term we use around work is "hump day". Hump day is Wednesday, supposedly we carry our heavy work load through Monday, Tuesday and then the hardest is pushing through Wednesday. With the weekend insight by Thursday, it is downhill from then on. Surely if we are looking for an addiction then one would have to say the weekend is our addiction. Like my co-worker I too look forward to the weekend but I don't see it as a drug to keep me going through the hard work. Sure my faith supports me and gives me rests like the weekends but it does more than that. My faith builds me up. Why? Because whether I succeed or fail, I know that I am part of the bigger picture where the faithful and loving God is in charge. As much as I have delusion about being the Doctor (Time Lord) I don't know the future but I don't have to because God will take care of it. Knowing these facts not only drag me from one crisis to the next, it actually builds up my character.
My example is not much to look at but if people of faith merely survive day to day on their diet of religion and addicted to the point that we become dis-functional then you better start worrying about the Australian economy. In 2010, Glenn Steven (chief of the Reserve Bank of Australia) revealed on Channel Seven Sunrise program that he is a church-going Christian. Steven even plays the guitar in his church band. How can a religious addict become the head of the RBA?
But don't just take my word or even Glenn Steven's word. Examine the Bible for yourself. When Paul wrote to his friends at the church in Roman 2000 years ago, Paul said
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)
By suffering, Paul meant the suffering that the Roman Christians were under official persecution (nothing serious really, just death at the Colosseum through being torn to pieces by lions). If religion is like opium then surely the Christians at Rome would have given up and took to watching the games (the real opium for the ordinary Romans). And this not the fanatical faith of people who blow themselves up with high explosive in crowded markets, no this is a faith that promotes love and care even for ones enemies.
As a human being, I certainly feel insulted by such a statement. This is not because I look down upon drug addicts. Rather that I have been accused of needing a substance akin to opium to keep me going through life. Worse still this is nothing like the reality for untold millions of Christians. I myself is far from perfect (ask my wife, sisters, parents, cousins and friends) but they can tell you how faith has changed my life in positive ways. My faith in God has built me up spiritually, emotionally and even surprisingly physically. In just the last three days, I have been lumbered with more work than I could really cope. It is easy to complain and if religion is indeed a drug I will go through each testing period at work merely to survive to the next one. One common term we use around work is "hump day". Hump day is Wednesday, supposedly we carry our heavy work load through Monday, Tuesday and then the hardest is pushing through Wednesday. With the weekend insight by Thursday, it is downhill from then on. Surely if we are looking for an addiction then one would have to say the weekend is our addiction. Like my co-worker I too look forward to the weekend but I don't see it as a drug to keep me going through the hard work. Sure my faith supports me and gives me rests like the weekends but it does more than that. My faith builds me up. Why? Because whether I succeed or fail, I know that I am part of the bigger picture where the faithful and loving God is in charge. As much as I have delusion about being the Doctor (Time Lord) I don't know the future but I don't have to because God will take care of it. Knowing these facts not only drag me from one crisis to the next, it actually builds up my character.
My example is not much to look at but if people of faith merely survive day to day on their diet of religion and addicted to the point that we become dis-functional then you better start worrying about the Australian economy. In 2010, Glenn Steven (chief of the Reserve Bank of Australia) revealed on Channel Seven Sunrise program that he is a church-going Christian. Steven even plays the guitar in his church band. How can a religious addict become the head of the RBA?
But don't just take my word or even Glenn Steven's word. Examine the Bible for yourself. When Paul wrote to his friends at the church in Roman 2000 years ago, Paul said
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)
By suffering, Paul meant the suffering that the Roman Christians were under official persecution (nothing serious really, just death at the Colosseum through being torn to pieces by lions). If religion is like opium then surely the Christians at Rome would have given up and took to watching the games (the real opium for the ordinary Romans). And this not the fanatical faith of people who blow themselves up with high explosive in crowded markets, no this is a faith that promotes love and care even for ones enemies.
