Neo-Marxist view of Religion

• Neo-Marxists argue religion is able to be counter-hegemonic
• A hegemony is when something acts a way to convince people to accept ruling class power
• Gramsci said the Church will influence its followers so working class people need their own intellectuals
• Gramsci coined the term Proletariat Intellectual
• People Temple is an example of religion acting as a counter-hegemony as it provided a way out of exploitation that ethnic minorities and working class people were facing
• Martin Luther King JR and Dalai Lama are examples of religion acting as a counter-hegemony
• Martin Luther King JR used his Christianity to unite people for black liberation
• Dalai Lama was a Buddhist who used his religion to liberate Tibet
• Madura found religion remains a dominant conservative institution social liberation can be brought by movements such as Liberation Theology
• Liberation Theology refers to people expressing their discontent to the Church and Priests can act as a voice for the working class and a proletarian intellectual
• The Liberation Theology came about in the late 20th century in Latin America and was expressed through Priests and Bishops