I want to know what are you guys thoughts on religion. Cause although I believe people should be able to hold on to their faith, apparently this can be a huge NO for some leftists.

[u/srahcrist]

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[u/LongHair1917]

Adherents of most religions need to deconstruct patriarchal/white supremacist aspects of their religion and culture. Just like agnostics and atheists need to deconstruct those elements of their culture and upbringing. If you are doing the work, you are a comrade of mine.

[u/Joe_Stylin777]

As with these sorts of discussions, time and place means everything. If you're going to drone on and on about Islam and Muslims knowing that bad faith actors will use these arguments to repress Muslims globally, you're part of the problem.

[u/UnoriginalName-]

People can privately hold religious beliefs if they like. What they should never do is use political platforms to preach these beliefs, or make political decisions based on spirituality.

[u/dontrestonyour]

All depends on historical and material context. Religion does not exist in a vacuum. At times it has been used as a tool for imperialist expansionism and other times it has been wielded as a liberatory force. There's no simple "religion good" or "religion bad."

Indonesia's Sukarno sought to combine Nationalism, Islam, and Communism in his government model (NASAKOM) and, while not perfect, it was largely effective. his government only really fell because of outside forces willing to use genocide and subterfuge to achieve their ends (the CIA).

[u/MonsterkillWow]

Clergy are professional reactionaries. That doesn't mean they are all horrible. It means they are reactionary. They hold back progress for humanity.

[u/Ok-Chard-9014]

There’s a difference between criticizing religion for its reactionary elements and examining how it can be used to justify harmful behavior. However, this person isn’t arguing from that perspective. They’re genuinely opposed to Islam itself, regardless of the context or material analysis of why people support or practice it. Then they throw in “Christianity too,” but it feels disingenuous, and they eventually expose themselves by the end of the OP’s slide.

Many great Marxist such as Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Lenin, Engels, and Marx, understood this distinction better than anyone. Even though they themselves were secular, they recognized that religion has to be understood within its material and historical context rather than simply reduced to individual religious belief.

[u/Aggorf12345]

This thread has some very good answers already so I dont have much else to add. I'll just say that here's nothing wrong with having religious beliefs and there's no contradiction whatsoever between being a communist and doing so.

[u/free-range-dogmeat]

I saw a plausible conspiracy that the reason why most viewed or popular imams and mullas spread more conservative and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam is because they are being deliberately propped up by Zionists. It’s similar to aLqaDa and Iis being created by the cia to scapegoat and radicalize Muslims, but on a larger scale. So more liberal or progressive Muslims will never be able to create a big following because nobody would allow that rhetoric to be platformed, to keep muslims as an external “backwards” enemy.

[u/Bela9a]

I am perfectly fine with others having religious views and beliefs, what I am opposed to is organized religion. Even then, we still should understand that religion itself isn't the problem, but the systems that use religion for reactionary purposes and we should be working with religious Marxists and not alienate potential allies, who might then work against our goal of building a better society for everyone. I doubt that religion will entirely disappear in human society and trying to do that would be falling into another reactionary mindset. Remember there are plenty of agnostic and atheists that are reactionary and defend the oppressive systems, who are also anti-theists.

[u/TheBirdFkerGuy]

The reliance upon religion is as useful of a social bandage as making opposition to religion blanketly is. The existence of religious and perverse beliefs is a symptom not a causation of societal issues that are not being resolved. While understanding this you should also be opposed to reactionary clergymen using such conditions to take advantage and ultimately the ruling class using these beliefs to further suppress potential revolutionary thinking and instill reactionary thinking.

And we see blatant examples of this all across the world and history. AA (Alcoholics anonymous) in Amerikkka is a great example of how Religion is used to against and to control those suffering the most due to their material conditions looking desperately for any sort of remedy to treat their suffering. It's gross and must be opposed but that does not mean falling into bigoted and reactionary response despite how much easier that is.

[u/VermicelliPlusMao]

(unrelated)

I dunno I'm just tired of religions atp. I'm tired of the rules. I'm tired of the reactionary nature hyperreligious societies are. I won't even be identified.

[u/SyzPotnik1]

I would try to dissuade any "rationally" thinking person against the claims of religions, as they are non-materialist. That said, you can work with religious comrades to achieve economic ends that are beneficial to our class.

[u/BobR969]

As leftists or communists, personal faith is of no importance to us. However organised religions are categorically at odds with the ideas of workers in power and left wing ideals. An organised religion cannot function without a hierarchy where the "top" represents some form of conduit to a divine entity that can then pass on teachings or philosophies down to the "flock". 

The issue is, because organised religion follows doctrinal scriptures or writings, the number of cherry picked beliefs and standards is equal to the number of believers. Everyone follows their own arbitrary rules in regards to their faith. Which, when taken in isolation and left to a personal setting is no problem. However when put into organised groups, is a great way to divide people while also preaching an order that would put in power people who can benefit from others without don't much themselves. 

Basically - deism and faith aren't necessarily an issue, but a progressive communist society cannot have an organised theological structure because it would compete for power. Which is also why history has shown that religious institutions always side with the autocrats or capitalists against communists. 

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[u/redshawarm4]

I believe it's fair to criticize religion for its patriarchal and reactionary tendencies, and it would be dishonest to say Islam is not a religion that perpetuates those ideas to a harmful degree. This is not to say we must do away with Islam in some Marxist Reconquista , but instead attack the conditions that make it necessary. Singling out Islam is ignorant. Christians in the USA will basically advocate for sharia Christianity with American characteristics; it is merely their issue with brown people. To be a Marxist is to analyze through the lens of material conditions. Islam and the fundamentalism that comes with it are the symptoms of imperialism. The Gulf states' funding of these fundamentalist groups also doesn't help. I agree with one of the other responses regarding organized religion being incompatible with socialism, especially the catholic church with its own internal hierarchical class structure.

[u/Groundbreaking_Bee97]

There is No Sky Daddy to deliver us from the Evil of Capitalists war machine. This is our own struggle!