Rejection, the Opium of the People

Maybe Mr. Marx wasn't specific enough when he coined the phrase "Religion, the opium of the people". He did not mention rejection in the writing where this famous quote is embedded. Without rejection, I do not think religion could exist. Without rejection, and the entailing feelings of sadness and inadequacy, religion would not be appealing to the masses. Why would anyone need religion if you thought that you were perfect, if everybody -including yourself- loved you just the way you are, if you wanted for nothing? Rejection from privileged class, rejection from peers, rejection from society in general, rejection in all its forms is what drives people to religion, a safer haven from the confines of this rugged, finite world.

Thus, it would follow, that rejection is at the root of the opiate which soothes the masses. It is the common bond that peoples share. It is what drives people to mask themselves behind illusions and fantasies. Internalized rejection is what prevents the working class from revolting and claiming their stake in society. Religion is merely a manifest symptom of internalized rejection.

Just a thought...