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8.3: Religion as a Site of Conflict and Domination

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    324911
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    From a Conflict perspective, rooted in Marx’s view of religion as an “opiate of the masses,” faith can be a tool of domination. Historically, Christianity was used to justify slavery and colonialism, teaching subservience to oppressed peoples. However, this same tradition can be radically reinterpreted. Conflict theory also helps us understand how religious groups compete for resources and legitimacy within a pluralistic society, often along racial and ethnic lines (Emerson and Smith 2000).


    8.3: Religion as a Site of Conflict and Domination is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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