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From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Give me that old time opium!
Message-ID: <1869@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Apr-84 15:55:37 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.1869
Posted: Wed Apr 11 15:55:37 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Apr-84 01:40:37 EST
References: <549@aplvax.UUCP> <193@uwvax.ARPA>
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
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No Marxist scholar I, but the way I heard it explained, a good
modern idiomatic translation of the phrase would be "the anaesthetic
of the people".  "Anaesthetic" because opium was used at the time as
such, and because Marx was asserting that religion is effective at
keeping people from paying too much attention to their suffering.
Whether you consider that a "good" or a "bad" trait of religion is, of
course, a matter of opinion.

--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle