Religion and Hierarchy

The term 'hierarchical' derives from the Greek for 'sacred'.  Thus, even without the spatialization of the Sacred-Profane contrast as High-Low--perhaps a consequence of the Above-Below contrast of Geocentrism--non-Pantheistic Religion is inherently inegalitarian. Now, there are no doubt other grounds of social domination, e. g. superior weaponry.  But because of his inattention to Religion as Practical, Marx's characterizations of it as "opium" and "illusory happiness" offer only superficial diagnoses of social hierarchies involving it.