Does the U.S.S.R. serve as a warning against atheism?

Question

I thought I'd make it fair.. does the fact that the U.S.S.R. crashed and burned serve as a warning to us against atheist societies?

Thanks everyone.. note the difference in tone with these answers versus the other question. I love when people can give an opinion using reason rather than emotion.

Btw, this is not a question based on my personal opinion, nor that of any kind of study.. simply a quote from an answer I saw a few days ago.. I wanted to see what others had to say about it.. thanks again!

Answer 1

I'd love to see the quote complete with context that inspired this question.
As the other answerers have so eloquently put, no, it wasn't atheism, it was bad government policy and corruption. Call it a lack of underlying morals if you wish, but (as you well know!) morality and religion (or lack thereof) aren't necessarily related.

Answer 2

I'd say the U.S.S.R. would stand as a much better example of the ills that can befall a top heavy centralised bureaucracy.
Also, a 'conglomerate nation' that discriminates against it's member ethnic minorities is a 'house divided', rotting from the inside, out.
Religion had very little to do with the fall of the U.S.S.R.

Answer 3

While I couldn't add much to the already excellent responses here (spending, power, ego, false equality), I can say I find it extremely interesting that the American government made "In God We Trust" our national motto in reaction to communism, and scribbled it all over our national coins. I could perhaps understand using the word "Shalom" as a tribute to the Jews in the Holocaust, but really... "In God We Trust". The day our national motto changed from "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many, one) to "In God we Trust" (i.e. "Only we're right") this country took yet another backwards plunge into raving idiocy. It is the United States government that made the Cold War about religion, as propaganda to get national support in case of a war against the USSR and to continually dumb down the population as a means of control - although I'm sure some of those idiots in Congress actually believed it. I can't believe so many people actually fell for it. If communism was a warning against atheism, then nearly every other war in history was a warning against religion. Except the latter is correct, the former ridiculous. No one in Communist Russia was fighting for religious purposes, it is religion itself (and making the "state" of Russia a religion) that usually causes the downfall of most empires. I am frightened for our future.

On another note, it was Francis Scott Key who first suggested "In God We Trust" as a motto in that brilliant homage to America - "The Star-Spangled Banner". One of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., had this to say about that famous song:

"There were one quadrillion nations in the Universe, but the nation (of America) was the only one with a national anthem which was gibberish sprinkled with question marks."

Dead on! Ah, wartime propaganda... ain't it just the cat's meow? =)

Answer 4

I find it funny that religion has to relate to government as well as every other aspect of lives (although I suppose looking at it, democracy and Christianity go hand in hand - IMO neither really work out best). The Soviet Union collapsed because of the conflicts that come with communism, despite theoretically working on paper. Political egos combined with military overspending and internal destruction brought down the USSR, not the absence of a deity.

Answer 5

No more than ancient Rome, 1940's Germany or even 1940's Poland are warnings against Christianity.

Answer 6

I always wonder how come that many people not know of the russian orthodox church and the power it has always had and to this very day wields in Russia, even though they had a fair amount of persecution in Stalin's day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Orthodox

I mean, everybody knows the st. Basil's Cathedral right? It's sitting right ON the frigging red square?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Basil%27s_Cathedral

Answer 7

Sweden is the most atheistic country in the world, and I think it would be a brilliant idea to follow their lead. They also have one of the best educational systems in the world, one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the world.
Japan is also one of the most atheistic countries in the world and has one of the lowest crime rates and teen pregnancy rates in the world--as well as one of the best educational systems.
(Also up there on the list are Denmark, Norway, Finland, France, and Germany.)
Friendly warning to everyone--People should be careful and educate themselves about the arguments they are going to try to present, because most atheists will research the "facts" presented to them.

Answer 8

The fall of the U.S.S.R. wasn't due to Atheism it was due to Communism.

http://www.snian.com/crazyray/wikinotes/humanities2/ussrchina.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Soviet_Union_(1985-1991)

Answer 9

It's certainly a warning about command economies. Egoism rules.

Answer 10

Hmmm, a communist societies failures are now being attributed to atheism? I really hope you never become one that supervises scientific studies. Interpreting results correctly is a skill that you seem to lack.