Leina asked:

What did Marx mean when he said that 'religion was the opium of the masses'? Was he dismissing
religion? If that's the case why did he change his religion from Judaism to Christianity? Or was that
simply a convenient career move?

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The exact quote from Marx is:

"Religion is the sigh of the creature overwhelmed by misfortune, the sentiment of a heartless world,
and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

For Marx, religion was a profound expression of distress and suffering, offering comfort when none
could be found; but it was also a delusion, dulling awareness of the true causes of misery. Which is to
say that is was like a drug (like opium) which Marx thought was given to the masses by the ruling
class to divert them from their miserable lives and to make them easier to deal with.

Marx, himself did not change his religion. He was born into a family which had changed theirs years
before. Marx was, himself, an atheist.

Ken Stern