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[@SaeedAlsomali-u3n]

There are a number of key differences in relation to religious belief and social class, both in terms of overall religiosity and the membership and practice of particular religions, denominations, sects, etc. There has been a traditional view that religiosity was stronger among the working class, tying into Weber’s idea of a theodicy of disprivilege and also the traditional Marxist idea that the purpose of religion was to act as an opiate or spiritual gin for the masses. Marxists argue that religion performs different functions for different classes, so for the ruling class it legitimates their position and their success, and for the working-class it offers hope for reward in the afterlife. However, there is some evidence to suggest that, in contemporary society, religiosity is in fact higher among the middle class. A survey from 2015 suggested that 62% of church goers are middle class. There are a range of possible explanations for this, but one is that religion offers opportunities for social networking which the middle class make use of, rather than that there is necessarily a greater amount of religious faith among the middle class. Retired Saudi American 🇸🇦 Saeed Alsomaly