rel 110 sg 1 munder

Unit One: What IS Religion?

Who are the four theorists we are going to look at in this unit?

What are the four examples we are going to look at in this unit to analyze the ideas of these theorists?

Karl Marx: Religion as Opiate

Who was Karl Marx and what was his background/education?

What is Marxs main criticism of Hegels Philosophy?

What are Marxs critiques of capitalism?

What is an opiate?

Why does Marx say that religion is an opiate for the masses?

What is Marxs hope for the future of religion? And what does he believe would happen if religion went away?

Case Study: Russian Orthodox Church and the Soviets

Why did many Russian citizens feel upset with the Orthodox Church, even though it was the most popular religion in the country?

Why did the Soviet communists want to abolish religion?

How did the Soviet government try to eradicate Russian peoples faith in the Orthodox church/faith?

Why did the Soviets burn churches and kill priests?

What is the Cult of Lenin? Why was it created?

Why is communism sometimes seen as a form of religion?

Were the Soviets ultimately successful in overcoming religion in the USSR or Russia?

What happened to the Orthodox Church after the fall of the Soviet empire?

The following questions are meant to help you better understand the video lectures for Module Two.

Please answer the following questions as you make your way through the video lectures for this week. You will then submit your responses.

What was his book Suicide about? What was his theory about differing suicide rates?

According to Durkheim, what is the relationship between the society and the sacred?

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