Marx’s Early Religious Criticism And Its Contemporary Value Research

Religion is the illusory consciousness of the alien power of life that governs man’s life from the beginning of his mind.Essentially it is a "reversed world view" and "fictional spiritual flower".It relies on the belief in the gods and the awe of the supernatural power to govern one’s behavior.As a complex social and historical phenomenon,it is intertwined with the politics,economics and cultural issues of the society.In the formation and development of human society,it is often used by the ruling class to make it the ideological tool of class oppression.It has played an important role in the development of society and the formation of the nation-state.Religious criticism as a prerequisite for all other criticism,it has a profound influence on the formation of Marxism.Although religious criticism is the core of Marxism in its early texts,it was through criticism of religion that the general criticism of politics,society and law was triggered.Marx absorbed the rational parts of Epicurean philosophy and examined French atheism in the 18 th century.He also critically inherited Hegel’s religious thoughts and young Hegelians’ religious thoughts.So compared with the previous religious criticism thoughts ever before,Marx’s early religious thought is unique and formed in a process of absorbing and denying.Throughout his early texts,Marx realized two changes in the critical thought of religion: firstly,from the analysis of the natural causes of religion to the social causes of religion;secondly,from the political criticism of religion and unenlightened authoritarian rule to for the spiritual freedom of expression as a religion of legal philosophy and political economics criticism.In other words,it is a change from the pure politics critics to law and economic critique.It is an epoch-making change in the history of the world religious doctrines implements and also an important turning point in his philosophy thoughts.Combing Marx’s the theoretical origin,nature and law of development and the social role of religion of Marx’s theory,we can understand the essence of his religious criticism thoughts better.We can also analyze the inner links between Marx’s early thoughts and later mature thoughts.Our party has always attached great importance to the great influence of religion on economic development and social stability.Meanwhile,our party has always been to guiding the religion to go along with socialist construction at all times.We must be vigilant against the illegal use and infiltration of religion by hostile forces at home and abroad.It is necessary to strengthen the world outlook of Marxism science and the religious view education.We should make efforts to raise people’s understanding of the root,nature,law and role of religion and make sure that the religion serve the modernization of socialism with Chinese characteristics.