Book excerpt: For James Keir Hardie, founding father of the British Labour Party, Socialism was the Christianity of his day. Keir Hardie realized that the abject poverty of his early years was economic, social, and political oppression, so he dedicated his life to fighting for justice. He found inspiration in the visions, insights, and concepts of figures from Jesus of Nazareth to Robert Burns and Karl Marx. At the heart of Keir Hardie's creed was the belief that human solidarity is sacred. What underpins this study is the understanding that labour history is religious history.