He who lives and works in need his entire life is taught by religion to be meek and patient in this world, offering the comfort of hope for a heavenly reward. And they who live on the labor of others are taught by religion to be charitable in this world, offering them a cheap justification for their whole exploiting existence.
One of the major goals of the Bolsheviks upon coming to power in 1917 was to emancipate the soviet citizens of religion. The tension started with the decree of January 20, 1918 that disestablished the Orthodox Church and consigned the clergy of all faiths to second-class citizenship (along with capitalists, merchants, former police, and criminals). This decree was not the only stab to the church, but was the start of an ongoing struggle between the church and state, which included the closing of many churches, the confiscation of church valuables, the arrest of Patriarch Tikhon, and the execution of priests suspected of aiding the counter revolutionary Whites. In 1923, the Orthodox Church took more shots when the twelfth Party Congress called for the training of anti-religious propagandists, the publication of the origins and class nature of religion, and the improvement of educational methods. The most damaging to the church was a law forcing any religious society having over 50 members to become registered by the state. In doing so, the church no longer had the right to congregate without a registration, which could be denied by the authorities, and was therefore placed in the power of the state.
sweeping away the Koran
“Look how the capitalists, belonging to your own faith, exploit us workmen. Big houses are built with the profits they get from our work, high walls surround their mansions, and cruel dogs watch them. They watch their property. Humility is only asked of us. Your faith is only to hide the sharp teeth of these ever hungry wolves.”
ttp://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/antireligious-propaganda/
http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/living-church/
The Russian Post 
I thought that was interesting especially when dealing with the importance of church and state and the Soviets obviously wanted complete control. However, what was the big picture problem? Why was there a need for control over religion?
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I really like your images and your inclusion of the “He who lives and works…” caption. How does this quote speak to the place of religion in society according to Marxist thought?
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Really shows how the Bolsheviks made sure to force religion to the wayside in their new nation. Interesting how they persecuted those who were religious, effectively coercing the people into no being religious.
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Thanks for providing examples of the anti-religious propaganda and translations. It seems very bizarre to learn about this because we live in a nation marked by freedom of thought and religion. Why do you think the Bolsheviks were trying to discredit and ’emancipate’ people from religion when it brought so much hope and joy to so many? I believe they were following Marx’s hatred for religion. You pointed out the quote from “Religious Foolishness” which I think shows that some people were fed up with hypocrisy within the Church, which turns a lot of people away from religion. I find this to be an ad hominem fallacy. When attacking an ideology, the philosophical underpinnings need to be discussed, not its adherents.
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