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 books on literature and politics, including Shakespeare in His Time and Ours (1968).