Remnants Vol Why do many of my fellow atheists deny the anti-theistism (Gosateizm) of the Soviets despite the evidence?
"The Soviet policy of state atheism (Gosateizm), albeit inconsistently applied, remains a major goal of official ideology. Massive state resources have been expended not only to prevent the implanting of religious belief in nonbelievers but also to eradicate "prerevolutionary remnants" already existing. The regime is not merely passively committed to a godless policy, but takes an aggressive stance of official forced atheization. Thus a major task of the police apparatus is in the persecution of forms of religious practice. Not surprisingly, the Committee for State Security (KGB) is reported to have a division dealing specifically with churchmen and sectarians."
Protest for Religious Rights in the USSR: Characteristics and Consequences
David Kowalewski
Russian Review, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct., 1980)
http://www.jstor.org/pss/128810
I don't, but atheism and even anti-theistism(did you make this word up? Cool.) aren't the reasons for the Stalin genocide as so many believers like to imply. The reason is political power plain and simple, and if Stalin took a page from the religion playbook and made the religious ones the bad guys rather than the non-believers for a historical change, I can't say I'm surprised it happened. Great question!
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