Everyone knows that Marx wrote, -religion is the opium of the people, - but all too frequently this aphorism is regarded as exhausting what he and Engels had to say on the subject. In fact, they presented a penetrating critique of religion that explains its origin and persistence.--from the preface

This classic volume sheds much-needed light on a topic of renewed interest: the impact of religion on politics, whether Islam in the Middle East or right-wing Christian fundamentalism in North America.

Paul Siegel (1916-2004), a writer and activist, published numerous...