Spot: You are correct regarding Marx. I worded that poorly, my intent was to continue my reference to the atrocities of Stalin.cwt36 wrote:
Since Karl Marx repudiated atheism as needless, you can hardly conclude that atheism was the reason for his atrocities.
Robert: Per the sources you are referencing:Robert Tulip wrote:Colin, perhaps you are not aware of how militant godless atheism was a central unifying ideological theme for Soviet tyranny. You may wish to read information on the persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union and the league of the militant godless.
"While religion was never outlawed in the Soviet Union and the Soviet Constitution actually guaranteed religious freedom to all Soviet citizens, persecution of Christians was still government policy. The persecutions were usually carried out for political rather than religious reasons and largely abated during World War II, at which time Stalin's government reached a truce with the Church in order to use it as part of its program to inspire Russian patriotic fervor." (emphasis mine)
"S.o.G.'s slogan was 'Struggle against religion is a struggle for socialism', which was meant to tie in their atheist views with economy, politics, and culture." (emphasis mine)
Stalin was a dogmatic proponent of communism who thought (at one point) that the policy of atheism was a means to that goal. He also murdered his political rivals and intellectuals many of whom were atheists themselves.
I have been rebutting Star's assertion that Stalin killed in the name of atheism. Your references reinforce the fact that at one point the abolition of religion was a policy of Stalin and the communist party. However, atheism was not his goal, it was not his guiding ideology, communism was.
What precisely is being rejected? A lack of opium? Norway proves you wrong. 
