Everyone knows that Marx wrote, “religion is the opium of the people,” but all too frequently this aphorism is regarded as exhausting what he and Engels had to say on the subject. In fact, they presented a penetrating critique of religion that explains its origin and persistence.—from the prefaceThis classic volume sheds much-needed light on a topic of renewed interest: the impact of religion on politics, whether Islam in the Middle East or right-wing Christian fundamentalism in North America.Paul Siegel (1916–2004), a writer and activist, published numerous books on literature and politics, including Shakespeare in His Time and Ours (1968).

Product Description: The growing secularisation of many societies has led to the proliferation of quasi-religions that seek to replace the religions proper. A quasi-religion is a position or movement which turns some finite, limited object or ideal into an object of absolute devotion...read more

Product Description: This much needed perspective represents a first step in the exploration of a long-ignored dimension of Marxist thought. Contributors, both Marxist and non-Marxist, from various countries reflect on such concerns as: the spiritual implications of Marxism and its critiques of economic determinism, alienation, and religion; what Marxism has to say to the more urgent spiritual issues of our time; and legacy of Marxism in a post-Soviet world...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: A study of religion in contemporary China based on field research by Chinese social scientists. Written by a group of scholars at the Religion Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sceinces, it responds to the designation of religion as one of the twelve "key topics" for special study by the Sixth Five-Year Plan for Economic Development, an astonishing reversal fo the cultural revolution goal of the eradication of religion completely and forever...read more

Describes the attitudes of Marx and Engles towards Christianity, summarizes Marxist criticisms of religion, and looks at Marxism in Russia and Latin America

An analysis of the political, social, cultural, and religious trends in recent Russian history which influenced soviet ideology