Quote: Under communism, the Russian religious landscape consisted mainly of two competitors—a severely repressed Russian Orthodox Church and a heavily promoted atheist alternative to religion called “scientific atheism.”
Under these circumstances, one might expect the rapid spread of religious disbelief, but the intensity of the atheist campaign originated from official mandate and not popular appeal. In turn, scientific atheism never inspired the Russian population and grew increasingly uninspired
as Soviet officials created a monopoly “church” of scientific
atheism in hopes of replacing persistent religious beliefs and practices.
This article is dedicated to explaining why Communists could not successfully convert the masses to atheism. The findings provide evidence that systems of belief require more than simply the power of promotion and coercion to become accepted. - end quote
From the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion the following article:
Forced Secularization in Soviet Russia:
Why an Atheistic Monopoly Failed
by Paul Froese
Quote:
As many observers of the Soviet Union noted, convinced Communists demonstrated a conviction to their doctrine that was remarkably similar to religious faith (see Berdyaev [1931] 1966;
Berlin 1996; Kaariainen 1989; McDaniel 1996; Zaehner 1986).
Scientific atheism, the official term for the Communist Party’s philosophical worldview, posited the ultimate purpose of human existence, a moral code of conduct, and created a collection of atheistic rituals and ceremonies that
mimicked religious ones. In addition to developing this ersatz religion, Soviet officials heavily promoted scientific atheism. The doctrine was taught in schools, advocated in the media, and
emphatically propagandized in books, posters, the arts, during holidays, and with celebrations. Convinced atheists could join atheist organizations and meet on a regular basis in lieu of church
participation; the primary atheist organization was the League of Militant Atheists, which was active prior to World War II and later replaced by the Knowledge Society. All in all, scientific
atheism was omnipresent in the daily lives of Communist citizens. Atheist propaganda and rituals, in combination with the brutal repression of Russian religious groups, produced an atheistic
“church” similar to a state-supported religious monopoly. Nonetheless, a belief in God remained a steadfast conviction for the majority of individuals throughout Soviet Russia. And the number
of convinced atheists virtually disappeared after the fall of communism. How could a doctrine that had so much going for it fail to gain widespread appeal? In sum, scientific atheism lacked
plausibility due to the recruitment tactics employed by the Soviet government and inconsistencies in the doctrine itself. - end quote
Paul Froese is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Baylor University
http://www.thedivineconspiracy.org/Z3211C.pdf
Last edited by Splendour; 12-28-2011 at 02:00 PM.
Reason: punctuation.