Stalin/Mao and religion.

[CynicalIdealist]

I've always heard horror stories about how they committed horrors against religious people. Is this true? Did they simply go after the churches or people practicing religion in their private affairs as well? How do other Marxists feel about how Stalin/Mao dealt with religion?

[Nox]

Stalin actually allowed freedom of religion...

[Tommy4ever]

Stalin actually allowed freedom of religion...

I hope you don't think that was anything but an opportunistic move. :rolleyes:

You have to remember that the best and worst thing about Stalin was the fact he was extremely opportunistic. This meant that he often made moves that were contrary to Marxism *cough* Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact *cough*, but on the positive side sticking dogmatically to Socialist positions would likely have been harmful to the Soviet Union's position.

In early days of the Soviet Union and during the 1930s the USSR took its hardest line against religion. Some big Churches were demolished and it was severely discouraged. I've not heard anything about people being killed for being religious in the Stalin era, probably didn't happen.

At the start of the War with the Nazis Stalin granted freedom of religion. This was an obvious opportunistic move to try to unite the country around the government, trying to remove internal divisions and unpopular policies. From then on there was no serious and violent assaults on religion.

I don't have a huge problem with Stalin's attitude towards religion.

I don't know about Mao.

[Uncle Rob]

Yes, the CPSU did take efforts to suppress religion. However, later they went back and reinstated the church. I for one am in favor of the latter, the reason being that even half-baked Marxists understand that religion has deeply rooted in human society and practice, and in many ways is an outcry against class society. That being said; only until the material conditions that give birth to religion are done away with can the abolition of religion be conceivable.