I like the idea of religion being debunked. I like the idea of that debunking being broadly disseminated and broadly consumed. I'm not so keen on the idea of forcing people to abandon their religion. They have to come to that on their own, if at all. It's a very fine line from there to forcing people to (pretend to) believe in some other sort of officially-endorsed idea, which could quite easily become religion.

The Soviet Union was basically an industrialized theocracy with a political doctrine substituted in the place of a God. Let's not fool ourselves into admiring its oppressive, murderous government just because they happened to be atheists.

As we know, religion is not going to go away, as in itself it is a social construct which gives individuals a sense of belonging. The English Civil War tried to disbar Catholicism, The French Revolution toppled religious doctrine only briefly, and as this article points out The Russian Revolution came and went but religious practice was consistent throughout and this is just three instances in Europe. Religion is not the problem, manipulation by religious means is. For authoritarian regimes it is better to control religion than remove it, especially within highly religious cultures. For example please see the bizarre form of Christianity in USA today where leadership seems to claim that they have God on their side. Perhaps they do but if that is the case its not a god that I would want to affirm!

Ok you’ve got me there. I loathe trump but I for one now welcome our Russkie overlords. “I ain’t sayin I’m a communist but I been in the red all my life.”
-Woody Guthrie

Sounds like religion propaganda

That sounds very civilised. And some soviet art is great.

Interesting read, thank you for sharing.