The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-20

Marxism is materialism AS such it is no
less hostile to religion than the materialism of
the eighteenth century Encyclopedias or of
Feuerbach. This is certain. But the dialec-
teal materasm of Marx and Engels goes
further than that of the Encyclopedias ant
Feuerbach, in that it applies the materials
philosophy to history and to the socia.
sciences We must fight religion. That is the
A C of all materalism consequently also OF
Marxism. Marxism goes further. 1t says:
we must know how to fight religion, and for
this purpose we must explain on materialistic
lines the origin of faith and religion to the
masses. The fight against religion must not
be narrowed down to an abstract theological
preaching; the question must not be brought
down to the level of preaching of this charac-
ter; the fight must be brought into close con-
nection with the concrete tasks and activity of
the class struggle, which is directed to the
elimination of the social roots of religion. Why
does religion maintain its hold in the back
ward strata of the town proletariat, in the
strata of the semi proletariat, and in the mass
of the peasants? Because of the ignorance
of the people, answers the bourgeois progress
sive the radical or bourgeois materialist. So:
down with religion; long live atheism; the
spreading of atheist views is our principal
task! The Marxist says: Wrong! Such con-
d
of spreading light and culture to the people"
Such conception does not explain deeply
enough the roots of religion, does not explain
it ENTHUSIASTICALLY, but Realistically. In the
modern capitalist countries these roots are
above all social. The social oppression OF the
working masses, their apparent absolute I'M
potence before the blind forces of capitalism,
which daily and hourly inflict upon ordinary
working men and women sufferings and afro
cious tortures thousand times more frightfu
than all the extraordinary happenings, such
as war, earthquakes, etc.-here is to be sought
the deep present-day roots of religion. Fear
has created the gods" The fear before the
blind power of capital-blind because its ac-
ton cannot be foreseen by the mass Of the
people--the fear that hangs like menace
over every step of the proetarian and the
small owner, and can suddenly" unexpected
w." by accident" inflict upon him poverty,
downfall, to be turned into beggar, a pauper,
a prostitute, hand him over to death by hun
ger-here is the root of present-day religion,
which the materalist must before a. @;A
above all hold before his eyes, if he is nos To
remain stuck in the chdren's shoes of ma
terialism. No mere books of propaganda are
ground down by the convict system of CAPT.
talst forced labor, who are at the mercy Of
the blind destructive forces of capitalism, so
long as these masses have not themselves
learnt as united, organized, systematic, con-
scious force, to fight against this root of re-
ligion-the domination of capital in all its
forms.
But does it follow from this that book of
propaganda against religion is harmful or SUI
perfluous? Not at all. Something quite diff
ferent follows What follows is that the
atheistic propaganda of Social Democracy must
be subordnated to its principal task--that is
to the carrying forward of the class struggle
Of the exploited masses against the exploitsrs.
Ito Be Continued)