2007-12-04 04:38:10 · 26 answers · asked by GEISHA 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Most communists are atheist (at least officially)
But only a few atheists are communist.
Communist governments fear the power of the church(es) and communist revolutionaries know that the religious will always side with the people in power.
2007-12-04 04:42:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
There is a coincidental link between atheism and Communism because Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the founders of philosophical Communism, happened to be atheists. When the Communist government of the USSR began, it was the first officially atheist government in the history of human civilization.
It is important to understand that while most Communists are atheists, the vast majority of atheists in Western Civilization want absolutely nothing to do with Communism. Atheism and Communism are two distinctly separate philosophies. The "Red Scare" of the Joseph McCarthy political era attempted to use the Christian fear of atheism to demonize Soviet style Communism, during the early 1950's. This smear campaign served the politics of the US Republican party, but had no significant basis in fact.
Truth be told, I have known many, many atheists in my 60 years, but only one person who would admit to being a practicing Communist. He happened to be a member of the staff of the Soviet Embassy in San Francisco and, ironically, he also happened to be a faithful Christian. To my knowledge, none of the atheists who frequent the R&S forum are Communists, mainly because we love individual freedoms and generally reject all forms of authoritarian government.
2007-12-04 05:16:47 · answer #2 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a couple have mentioned above the idea comes from Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. Religion (Christianity specifically) teaches things like suffering in this world will be rewarded in the next and we should offer up our sufferings for others and our sufferings are small compared to the sufferings of Jesus. Marx wanted the workers of the world (proletariat) to throw off their chains and rebel against their capitalist masters (bourgeois).
2007-12-04 04:51:28 · answer #3 · answered by Adoptive Father 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The obvious link is in the very teachings of communism. Comminism declares itself atheistic. Atheism is the very foundation of communism. As such you cannot join the communist party unless you're an atheist.
2007-12-04 04:48:09 · answer #4 · answered by Steve Amato 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
During soviet motherland Russia days the communist party used it to straighten it power over the people by taking power away from the church.
So people tend to associate one to the other, however communist is not atheism and atheists are not all communists. For example the christian god uses a communist system to rule in its heavens.
2007-12-04 04:41:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Isn't there 2 m's in communism?
And I don't think there's a direct link there... I think philosophically both view organized religion as unneeded? For different reasons tho.
2007-12-04 04:51:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think they are connected because one should not do something for another person simply because they are told to do so by a higher being. For true communism to work, one has to understand that we are all equal so giving to others has no other motivation simply than that it is the right thing to do.
And Marx said the religion and opium thing. Not Lenin.
2007-12-04 04:55:40 · answer #7 · answered by queenie 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
usually in communist countries the party tries to break the bondage between people and religion. for example people are banned from going to church and they can only observe their rel traditions at home. they cannot gather or have sermons or go to church for any reason whatsoever.
the party urges people to abstain from religion and there is only one reason for that: nothing can be greater than the party and nothing can be greater than the leader of the party and the country. usually it's some sort of a dictatorship after all and the leader is god. no other diety should threaten his existence, power, and status...
that's it to put it short
2007-12-04 04:46:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Communists such as Stalin enforced atheism as they saw religion as a threat to their totalitarian political ambitions.
2007-12-04 04:42:58 · answer #9 · answered by Bajingo 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure. I mean, in a perfect Jesus-lead world, wouldn't communism be the norm? I know it doesn't work really, but the principal of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is pretty Jesusy, isn't it?
I mean, can you seriously say that Jesus would be a capitalist?
2007-12-04 04:41:46 · answer #10 · answered by ZombieTrix 2012 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋