ACADEMIC TALK
Watch the lecture by Laurence Raran below and don’t forget to take a look at the extra resources and have a go at the activity at the end.
“Soul of Soulless Conditions”: An Examination of Marxism and Christianity
Laurence Raran
There is a view that the philosophy of Marxism is entirely incompatible with the religion of Christianity. Marx once claimed that religion was the ‘opium of the people’, and was rather conclusive that the ‘criticism of religion’ was over. This lecture aims to question that narrative and see where what seems to be disagreeable and opposing to one another in Christianity and Marxism can result in a level of compatibility.
Further reading
Karl Marx on Alienation (BBC Radio 4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4VzhIuKCQ
Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, Introduction: Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right 1844 (marxists.org)
Liberation Theology Website: Liberation Theologies | Online Library and Reference Center (liberationtheology.org)
Denys Turner, Marxism and Christianity (click the link to view or if you have access to a library, this book may be in here!)
Read into the South American Liberation Theology movement:
BBC – Religions – Christianity: Liberation theology
Teaching – osjspm.org (A primer into Catholic Social Teaching, which influenced the Liberation Theology movement)
Pope says he is not a Marxist, but defends criticism of capitalism | Pope Francis | The Guardian
Write a small 1000 word essay on this question:
Is Liberation Theology a successful way to make Marxist and Christian beliefs compatible?
