Opium for the People

"How much is the opium for the people?" This phrase uttered by the unforgettable Ostap Bender to the greedy father Fyodor, a priest of the Church of Frol and Lavr, “went into the people’s quote book,” thanks to the creativity of Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov—and also to the film adaptations of “The Twelve Chairs,” which made a far better point than Karl Marx’s conclusion: “Religion is the opium of the people.” And here is how the theme, started long before Ilf and Petrov, Marx and Shevkunov, continues today—despite the 21st century, when cosmic rockets before launch sprinkle “holy water” just in case…