religion under Lenin

views on Lenin

• aggressively atheist

• allowed freedom of worship

• relgion a sign of backwardness

• replace it with scientific education

decree on separation of the church and state (jan 1918)

• church could not own property

• church buildings rented

• religious instruction outlawed

• priests and clevics not allowed to vote and did not receive ration cards

“union of the militant godess”

• events to prove god does not exist

• own newspaper that attacked the clergy

• relics/ icons ridiculed

• peasants taken for rides in aeroplanes to prove there was no god

• communism promoted as “new religion”

• christmas and easter became komsomol christmas and easter

• instead of baptisms: “octobered”

• red wedding infront of portrait of Lenin instead of altar

persecution of Orthodox church (1921-1922)

• soviets seized with task of seizing valuables

• lenin overulled politburo against resistance

number killed in anti-church campaign

1922: more than 8,000 people killed in anti church campaign

22 bishops/ 1215 priests

“living church” movements

• backed by OGPU

• denied communists to persecute church

• orthodox church leadership gave no more trouble

• 1925: after death of Tikhon, Sergei called for support for govt: led to less stildent attacks from govt in short term

• continued to support priests with voluntary donations and carried out relgious practices

survey on active christians

1925: 55% still active christians

national minorities

• jews given separate representation within communist party

• 1926: soviet jews given a special “national homeland”

• early communists promoted literacy campaigns which encourage use of a national language

• 1917: abolition of anti-semetic laws

• yiddish acceptable language