on which needs illusions.
             First of all, very few ever hear this quote in its entirety. Where at first it appears to be a condemnation of religion, if we look deeper, it says much more. "Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress". People turn to religion, and the pain and strife that religion can cause when they are turning away from true distress, in the economic, emotional, or social form. "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation." When people turn to religion, it is a form of comfort from their distress. Where this is no hope, religion can provide hope, and where this is no heart or spirit people can numb their pain with the ideals of religion. "It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness." According to Marx, religion acts as the opium, the painkiller, the soother for their social strife and pain. It is a way to create the illusion and hope of a better life to come. According to most religions, the afterlife is what we live for, so no matter how terrible things are for us now, things will be different and better after death. These illusions must be destroyed and denied for real happiness to prevail because it is only after social institutions have been reformed and real revolution has taken place that religion will not be necessary to sedate social and economic agony because there won't be any. "The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." This line reitifies the previous one saying that we need to let go and give up the conditions that force us to need opium, that force us to be in pain and when we give up those conditions, we can give up religion.
             For Marx, ...