According to Marx, religion is primarily viewed as an ideology. Marx argued that religion serves as a tool of the ruling class to maintain social control and perpetuate inequality. He believed that religion functions as a form of false consciousness, which distracts individuals from recognizing their exploitation and oppression in a capitalist society. Marx did not consider religion to be the cause of human misery in itself, but rather a reflection and perpetuation of the social and economic conditions that lead to human suffering. Additionally, Marx did not view religion as part of the base (referring to the economic infrastructure of society), but rather as a superstructure that emerges from and is influenced by the economic base. Finally, Marx did not consider religion to be the embodiment of truth, as he viewed it as a product of human social and historical conditions rather than as an objective reality.