BRACES, NOT CRUTCHES

"Religion is the opium of the people" is one of the most frequently paraphrased statements of German sociologist and economic theorist Karl Marx, the atheist co-author of the Communist Manifesto. [1818-1883]

Opium: a reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive mind-altering drug, prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic.

Thought Adjuster: “The derogative manner in which Karl Marx qualified religion and the experience of the people of faith should not come as a surprise since atheists reject such experiences as either impossible or not worth wanting. They dismiss all supporting data provided by the real-life testimonies of the ‘believers.’

Karl Marx made a prejudiced intellectual statement since he lacked the personal ‘knowingness’ that would have refuted it. Had he tasted firsthand the profound emotional comfort provided by living faith, he would not have uttered such a condescending remark.

As you indwelling divine Fragment, I am viewing matters from a different vantage point. Faith is not a crutch that supports you when you stumble through difficulties. It is more like a smartly engineered ‘unloader brace’ that gives you the benefit of pain relief without more invasive treatment. This spiritual application effectively keeps discouragement and hopelessness at bay.

Crises may either break your spirits or strengthen your resolve, depending on the fitness level of your faith muscles. Amid such difficult situations, your faith can act as a temporary support brace.

There is some unintentional truth in Karl Marx's statement. The substance of faith tremendously helps God-centered individuals to cope with difficult predicaments. It keeps the flame of hope burning while simultaneously acting as a healing balm—the certainty that ‘this too shall pass.’ Jesus admonished all to grow in empowering faith—never a delusional state as far as he was concerned.”