Religion in a Communist society?

[Engel]

Let me make this clear before I start; I am an atheist. What I see in my daily life has given me no reason to believe there is a god. That being said I know many people who do believe in some kind of deity. Some of these people are close friends to me, others aren't. The ones I associate with are for the most part good, hard working people. Which leads me to my question, would a communist society allow religion to exist and if so for how long? My personal view is that you don't try to eradicate religion right away. You just try to phase it out over a few generations starting with the first one born after the revolution. I think that this would prevent some of the social turmoil that trying to ban religion over night would create. Your thoughts comrades?

And just cause I feel like being an ass....

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk8mnwKptB1qfni87o1_500.jpg

[tir1944]

No such thing in a Communist society.

[Tablo]

I'm sure there will be some religious people around even after there is communism. They will probably be an extreme minority though.

[pax et aequalitas]

I got nothing against people believing in something. The problem is ORGANISED religion.

[La Peur Rouge]

I don't see the point in attempting to ban religion. People are probably going to be religious for a long time, and if they're not harming anything then who cares. Eventually I think most people will just abandon religion on their own.

[MustCrushCapitalism]

Religion is the opium of the people
^This

Although most leftists are more for secularism than state atheism nowadays, but I do believe the state should play a role in encouraging irreligion through education and all.

[Kornilios Sunshine]

There should be free practice of religion but fighting on religions should be banned. I am an atheist but although I think religions are dumb, I think anyone can believe on whatever he/she wants.

[DarkPast]

I think it's silly to try and ban religion. For one thing it wouldn't work because religion is the product of socio-economic circumstances. The other thing is that I firmly believe a person has the right to practice a religion as long as s/he does not try to force it onto other people.

Religious institutions, on the other hand, would be stripped of their state funding and any political power they have would be eliminated - they would survive on donations and voluntary labour or not at all. Of course, if they become bases of active opposition to communist/anarchist ideas, they should be appropriately oppressed.

[tir1944]

Hoxha banned religion in Albania.
Even today most Albanians are atheists.

[Property Is Robbery]

I'm glad and quite surprised that this thread is actually rational.

[Property Is Robbery]

Even today most Albanians are atheists.
Uh this is so blatantly wrong that it's a little funny. Most Albanians are Muslim

[Stalin Ate My Homework]

I think a distinction has to be made between religion and faith. Personally I am a theist because I think the existance of a God is more probable than not though I don't feel the need to subscribe to any religion or indeed worship that God in a church led by a priest. I Think this is how religion will evolve in a Communist society.

[eric922]

As long as religion stays out of politics I have no problem. I don't even mind if leaders of of the state are religious as long as they remember that their commitment to building socialism and serving the working class comes before their religion.

If your interested here is Lenin's take on it, it's only about a page long: http://www.marx.org/archive/lenin/works/1905/dec/03.htm

[Commissar Rykov]

I think it's silly to try and ban religion. For one thing it wouldn't work because religion is the product of socio-economic circumstances. The other thing is that I firmly believe a person has the right to practice a religion as long as s/he does not try to force it onto other people.

Religious institutions, on the other hand, would be stripped of their state funding and any political power they have would be eliminated - they would survive on donations and voluntary labour or not at all. Of course, if they become bases of active opposition to communist/anarchist ideas, they should be appropriately oppressed.
^This pretty much sums up everything that needs to be said though I am pretty disturbed by the amount of people that are so fucking ban happy over peoples personal beliefs.

[Seresan]

I find it amusing how many "libertarians" there are out there that want to ban religion. Eliminating harmless personal faith in general is over the corruption line for me.

[tir1944]

. Most Albanians are Muslim
Depends on the source.
Most of the don't really care much about Islam,from what i heard.

[Start a Fire]

Let's be honest, even when a totally communist society has been established, there will still be at least a minority of religious people. Religion should never be banned, that's would be thought-crime. What's important is preventing religion from being used as an institute for power.


I think a distinction has to be made between religion and faith. Personally I am a theist because I think the existance of a God is more probable than not though I don't feel the need to subscribe to any religion or indeed worship that God in a church led by a priest. I Think this is how religion will evolve in a Communist society.
Would you mind explaining why you think the existence of God is more probable than not? I'm not planning to refute or argue with you, just curious.

[Zostrianos]

I firmly believe in the value of religious philosophy and mysticism, and I think everyone should be free to believe what they want (in my view there is no room for coercion in an ideal communist society; freedom should be a primary right). However, the big organized religions, especially Christian churches, have been a burden on society for too long, influencing governments to grant them privileges and restricting the rights of others. I think in a communist society the big churches should get taxed. I already proposed this in another thread, but here it is again: either you tax all religious organizations, or if not, to bypass the existing laws on not taxing religious entities (should we choose to keep these laws), you simply require that all religious organizations declare their revenues. Those that make, for instance, more than $1 million per year of profit after expenses (rent, bills, etc) would be required to pay a minimum of 25% in taxes. Those mega churches in the US are sitting on tens of millions of tax free dollars which they use to lobby the government and support big capitalist companies, instead of contributing to society (some make up to 60 million per year). They should be taxed and the money used for social programs and charity - not false Christian charity, where "we'll help you out if you convert to Christianity", but secular programs to help the poor and contribute to the welfare of society.

[OHumanista]

I belive all religions are bullshit HOWEVER I will stand for their rights to practise their religion. I am against organised religion and it's undue influence in society. The choice of individuals does not matter as long as the state and life in general are firmly secular.

[Zostrianos]

Secularism in politics is vital

[revamerica23]

im atheist as well i like you idea to spread it out over generations there would be less resistance if little you could even totally fool them if you did it right

[Veovis]

Any hostility towards religion would only hurt the socialist cause; there are simply too many religious people in the world. Once people realize that they can have a better life before death, it will eventually fade away.

[Red Rabbit]

Religion should never be banned or oppressed, unless you want the revolution to fail. Organized religion should be abolished, however.

[Grenzer]

I have to echo some of the others that religion should not be actively suppressed, but it should not be allowed in governing.

I am an atheist as well and I have little doubt that over the generations religion would quickly fade away in the face of rationality.

[rundontwalk]

I have to echo some of the others that religion should not be actively suppressed, but it should not be allowed in governing.

I am an atheist as well and I have little doubt that over the generations religion would quickly fade away in the face of rationality.
Religion won't ever fade so long as people die. Which is sort of the crux of the issue really.

Personally, I'm a Christian, albeit also a socialist sort of in the Tolstoyian vein. But although I'm completely non denominational I think even this talk of banning organized religion is something of a problem ethically speaking. As long as it's voluntary how is it any of our business if people want to go through the motions of being Catholics or Shias or what have you? Just as long as they don't force other people to do anything they don't want to do I don't have a problem with organized relgion per se.

So basically I agree with the first part of your statement. :p

[Blake's Baby]

I find it amusing how many "libertarians" there are out there that want to ban religion. Eliminating harmless personal faith in general is over the corruption line for me.

Which libertarians are you talking about? The only person I've seen so far favourably referring to a ban on religion seems to be a Hoxhaist (from the mentiona of Hoxha, and the flying the Albanian flag).

[Seresan]

Which libertarians are you talking about? The only person I've seen so far favourably referring to a ban on religion seems to be a Hoxhaist (from the mentiona of Hoxha, and the flying the Albanian flag).
I just mean in general. I've heard too many people say that 'all religious people are evil for judging people' and hypocritical stuff like that.

[Blake's Baby]

OK, I'll not feel so bad about not knowing what you're talking about. So, by 'Libertarians' do you mean Austro-capitalists, or Anarchists?

[mrld1630]

I guess I could be called a "Christian." However, I don't adhere to "organized religion." I'm a Quaker but that stays in my private personal life. I believe first and foremost in communism and secularism. Quakerism is decentralized, there are no rules, and it pretty much can fit into a modern communist/socialist society's role for religion. Funny thing about us Quakers is that there's Atheists, Agnostics, and secular humanists who are members... For them it's not a "religion" it's a spiritual thing... So to some Quakerism isn't a "religion." It's like Yoga to them and that's fine by me...