The Opiate of the Masses
and the deceitfulness of riches
Karl Marx famously called religion the opiate of the people. Faith kept people dull, sleepy, and compliant, he believed. Religion was misleading them.
Jesus had a different take.
He warns explicitly that the deceitfulness of riches can choke out the Word. He calls us to live for life that does not end and to lay up our treasures eternally.
“When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
When we see a chart like this one, it can be easy to make the wrong conclusions. Religiosity and suffering correlate while development and apathy toward religion correlate. (Notice how unique the USA is on these trends btw.)
I believe the Lord’s teaching and His resurrection should upend our interpretation of this data and open our eyes to one of the greatest weapons of the Enemy–luxury.
What if riches are the opiate of the masses? What if pleasures and treasures of this passing life are a profound threat to living for what lasts?
It’s something to take seriously. After all, Jesus did say, “Blessed are the poor…”
There is no virtue in seeking suffering or self-inflicted poverty. There is wisdom in seeing the Good Life measured beyond the grave!