Communist murder of the religious: Not atheism's fault
July 7, 2012 at 11:46 am
(This post was last modified: July 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm by Creed of Heresy.)
Ok, because I am getting really tired of constantly hearing about how since Stalin was an atheist, tried to impose what he felt was atheism upon his countrymen, and murdered religious people supposedly just for being religious, that therefore an atheist killed religious people "far more than religious people killed atheists" and in larger quantities in general than religion has ever done ergo atheism is more immoral than religions are, I'm starting this thread, wherein I will [attempt] to disabuse people of this aforementioned notion...people who cling to this ridiculous notion in a pitiful attempt to vindicate the atrocities of their own religions by measuring them against Stalin's atrocities.
Let's start first by, unfortunately, using a bit of "No true scotsman." I hate to use what is largely considered a logical fallacy here, but in this case, it actually does have merit; hear me out first. The primary element of atheism is that there are no gods. This can be interpreted in many ways, of course; there are christian atheists and jewish atheists, for example. Putting aside the fact that quite often those individuals are walking contradictions [you cannot accept that Jesus was a moral man without also believing he really was the son of god, since Jesus pretty much made it clear to any observer that either he was really the son of god or he was just a raving lunatic by his actions and words, for example], let's consider what atheism "means." It means "not theistic." Theism, according to the dictionary, is a belief in either a god, or a supreme, infallible being, and atheism is the opposite; either active disbelief in such a notion, or the lack of belief in such a notion.
I'm going to jump right to it, here; Stalin thought himself a supreme being. A god, if you will. What is a god but something that is perfect, beyond reproach, infallible, unquestionable? That is the very essence of a god, to either believer or nonbeliever, and what supposedly makes a god worthy of worship. I could make the comparisons between Stalin and the god of both the old AND new testaments, of the torah, and of the koran, but it would take all day.
To name just a few, however; both were extremely jealous beings, incapable of even tolerating the idea of another entity being venerated even nearly as much as they were; for considering any other possible government ideas other than the ones Stalin proclaimed that the populace must follow, you were punished as a "dissident." For worshiping idols or other gods, you were punished as a "blasphemer."
Both would condemn you to death on a moment's notice without a second thought if you transgressed against them in any way; apparently god did not contact about 90% of the rest of the world himself, instead leaving it to the Israelites to spread his ideas, and thus willfully condoning slaughter and murder and genocide and slavery to those whom he apparently didn't bother contacting, because they were doing things he didn't like...even though he never bothered to tell them. Stalin, meanwhile, was notorious for pretty much creating laws on a whim and if you were unlucky enough to not hear about these laws and you did something without even realizing it was against the law? You were punished for your treachery...nevermind that you probably didn't know you were being treacherous to begin with. It was how Stalin kept his people on their toes and kept their toes on the line; if threatened with death or torture or both for falling anywhere outside of the lines drawn by the party and ergo by Stalin, you pretty much stopped even considering doing something that wasn't sanctioned by the party. Pretty much like what happened with god in the old testament with him condemning people this way and that to death and everything else for not obeying rules he never informed them of.
Both would put you through hell if you did not follow what they said without question, although Stalin's form of hell was the Gulags; windowless, bare, dank cells, daily torture and forced hard labor and less-than-minimal nourishment and constant isolation, and god's idea of hell is...well, it's hell; fire and brimstone and torture and starvation and suffering.
I could go on in this vein for quite some time, including the promise of rewards, the indoctrination of those rewarded and of the masses, and the ownership not just of the body but of the very mind and thoughts and ideas of the masses. I won't. My point should be sufficiently clear by this point and if it's not, that's your problem for not being able to put two and two together. If you're going "durrrrr dis dun really add up, nope, he's makin this up," go read a fucking history book, read the old testament, and get back at me once you've managed to utilize basic logic, got it?
Moving on.
Stalin basically sought to usurp god as the object of idolization and worship, and for all intents and purposes he pretty much did. And the best thing about it is that he used the exact same methods that the god of the "holy books" did. Coercion, guilt-tripping, accusation, condemnation, idolation, fervor, fanaticism, indoctrination, evangelism; Stalin used it all, to a very effective extent. Let's consider this, shall we?
First, usurping: Religious institutions were the second largest power in the USSR, second only to the Party itself. They told people to do something other than venerate the party, so Stalin decided to get rid of them, since they were exhorting worship not of the party but of god. In fact a lot of churches outright opposed Stalin specifically because they saw him trying to usurp god as the object of sole worship. In this regard, you could say they were doing the right thing, but you'd be wrong; neither side is right, here. Both are demanding willful mindless unthinking self-enslavement to a single entity...they only differ in what entity that is. One is the party. One is "Yahweh." The differences after that? Zero. With the churches outlawed, the adherents being punished for not venerating Stalin as the one true entity of adulation, Stalin effectively destroyed his only real opposition, thus solidifying his power in both his mind and the minds of his countrymen.
Second, coercion, since this a short one. Christianity: Believers get to go to heaven, a paradise, a realm of succor and heavenly enlightenment. Stalinism: People unquestioningly obedient to the party get treats, like increased power over others, better benefits of food and luxury and other such earthly advantages. And also consider how important something simple like a loaf of bread was to the Soviet people at this time, given the famine ravaging their country, resulting in somewhere between 6-10 million people starving to death; the prospect of being able to have a better shot of getting food? And not just any food but SUSTENANCE? A fucking STEAK now and then? THAT, in such a situation, would pretty much be heaven.
Third, accusation, condemnation, and guilt-tripping. Christianity: If god on high through his priests/ministers/followers says you're doing wrong, who the fuck are you to argue otherwise? Stalinism: If Stalin on top of the Party through his commissariat/proletariat/police informants says you're doing wrong, who the fuck are you to argue otherwise?
Fourth, idolation, fervor, fanaticism, indoctrination, evangelism: Christianity: You are to idolize god, and only god, for breathing life into you, for providing you with this world and all its succor. The truly devout, those who get on their knees willfully and eagerly and pray with all their heart and soul to god to exhort and adulate him for all of his praises, are those most blessed and worthy and praised by god. To be ready to take the lives of your family and friends and all those you love out of the higher love for god is the best way to prove your faith to almighty god. To follow unquestioningly, and to birth more children and to spread the ideas to them, to your friends, to your family, is to do the true work of god. Stalinism: You are to idolize the party, and only the party, for liberating you, supposedly, from the yolk of your oppressors [the rich and greedy], for being so kind as to provide you with your bread and your purpose in life [to work for the party and therefore for a worthy cause]. The truly devout, those who sing the praises of Stalin and the party, who put their blood, sweat, and tears into their labors for the good of the Party, are those most dutiful and to be an example for all to follow. To be ready to rat out your friends, your family, your loved ones should they ever dare to question the Party is to gain higher status and be an example for all to follow. To follow what the party says unquestioningly, to birth more children and to bring others into the fold of the party, to provide more workers, to bring about more strength to the Soviet Union as a whole and to make all more powerful as a result is the greatest thing you can do.
Stalin used the very same methods that christianity and every other religion uses to gain power over the masses. He used the same methods of cruelty and false compassion that the religious had used throughout history, and he used it against them. Oh I see, now, why the Christians are so hateful towards Stalin: How DARE he use their own methods against them! How dare he say there is no god but the Party?! How dare he tear down their institutions and erect his own?! Brings to mind the crusades, the inquisition, the evangelism and tithes and the desecration of pagan and jewish and muslim places of worship, and the erection of christian places of worship over their ruins and the stealing of the victims' traditions for their own bastardized versions to strengthen their position over those they conquer, brings to mind how the abrahamic god demanded worship of no other god but he and how he punished those who transgressed this demand...doesn't it? Oh how it hurts when your own methods are turned against you, doesn't it?
The cruelty of irony.
But once again, I compare Stalin with God. God by nature would be an atheist, wouldn't he? For if he is the ultimate power, then he has no faith in a higher being, right? Stalin considered himself the ultimate power and his cult of personality shows this countless times throughout history, so of course he would have no faith in a higher power because he WAS the higher power. HE. WAS. GOD. In his mind, his eyes, and ultimately in the eyes of his countrymen and fellow party members, Stalin was god. He wasn't an atheist because he disbelieved in god, he was an atheist because he considered himself to be a god.
You want an example of the fanaticism? For the christians, it was the crusades and martyrs and saints. For the Soviets...I need only speak the city's name and those who know anything of history will know of what I mean, when I say "Stalingrad."
You want an example of how they used scapegoats and ideas of what to avoid to retain their influence? America/Capitalism, Satan/Hedonism.
Stalin was an atheist and totalitarian. He didn't have others killed in the name of atheism, though; he had them killed in the name of himself.
God is an atheist and totalitarian. He doesn't have others killed in the name of atheism, though; he has them killed in the name of himself.
So I conclude; Stalin was an atheist like God is an atheist. Atheism, and atheists, do not kill in the name of atheism...because as anyone with the ability to reason knows, you cannot kill in the name of a non-entity. But those of the totalitarian mindset DO kill in the name of their totalitarian entity of choice.
There is SO MUCH MORE I could use to expand on this but this post is already ridiculously long enough as it is, and if I REALLY need to have to expand further on it then whoever the fuck the mouth-breather is that is questioning this has no hope of ever getting it through their thick, empty skulls anyway and beyond that point it would be a waste of time.
But in conclusion: God/Stalin = The same fucking thing. NOBODY. KILLS. IN THE NAME. OF ATHEISM.
[Afterthought: After considering all that I just wrote and after considering how much more I could have added, I literally am aghast now that I seriously have to spell it out for anyone who doesn't get it. Literally unfuckingbelievable.]
Let's start first by, unfortunately, using a bit of "No true scotsman." I hate to use what is largely considered a logical fallacy here, but in this case, it actually does have merit; hear me out first. The primary element of atheism is that there are no gods. This can be interpreted in many ways, of course; there are christian atheists and jewish atheists, for example. Putting aside the fact that quite often those individuals are walking contradictions [you cannot accept that Jesus was a moral man without also believing he really was the son of god, since Jesus pretty much made it clear to any observer that either he was really the son of god or he was just a raving lunatic by his actions and words, for example], let's consider what atheism "means." It means "not theistic." Theism, according to the dictionary, is a belief in either a god, or a supreme, infallible being, and atheism is the opposite; either active disbelief in such a notion, or the lack of belief in such a notion.
I'm going to jump right to it, here; Stalin thought himself a supreme being. A god, if you will. What is a god but something that is perfect, beyond reproach, infallible, unquestionable? That is the very essence of a god, to either believer or nonbeliever, and what supposedly makes a god worthy of worship. I could make the comparisons between Stalin and the god of both the old AND new testaments, of the torah, and of the koran, but it would take all day.
To name just a few, however; both were extremely jealous beings, incapable of even tolerating the idea of another entity being venerated even nearly as much as they were; for considering any other possible government ideas other than the ones Stalin proclaimed that the populace must follow, you were punished as a "dissident." For worshiping idols or other gods, you were punished as a "blasphemer."
Both would condemn you to death on a moment's notice without a second thought if you transgressed against them in any way; apparently god did not contact about 90% of the rest of the world himself, instead leaving it to the Israelites to spread his ideas, and thus willfully condoning slaughter and murder and genocide and slavery to those whom he apparently didn't bother contacting, because they were doing things he didn't like...even though he never bothered to tell them. Stalin, meanwhile, was notorious for pretty much creating laws on a whim and if you were unlucky enough to not hear about these laws and you did something without even realizing it was against the law? You were punished for your treachery...nevermind that you probably didn't know you were being treacherous to begin with. It was how Stalin kept his people on their toes and kept their toes on the line; if threatened with death or torture or both for falling anywhere outside of the lines drawn by the party and ergo by Stalin, you pretty much stopped even considering doing something that wasn't sanctioned by the party. Pretty much like what happened with god in the old testament with him condemning people this way and that to death and everything else for not obeying rules he never informed them of.
Both would put you through hell if you did not follow what they said without question, although Stalin's form of hell was the Gulags; windowless, bare, dank cells, daily torture and forced hard labor and less-than-minimal nourishment and constant isolation, and god's idea of hell is...well, it's hell; fire and brimstone and torture and starvation and suffering.
I could go on in this vein for quite some time, including the promise of rewards, the indoctrination of those rewarded and of the masses, and the ownership not just of the body but of the very mind and thoughts and ideas of the masses. I won't. My point should be sufficiently clear by this point and if it's not, that's your problem for not being able to put two and two together. If you're going "durrrrr dis dun really add up, nope, he's makin this up," go read a fucking history book, read the old testament, and get back at me once you've managed to utilize basic logic, got it?
Moving on.
Stalin basically sought to usurp god as the object of idolization and worship, and for all intents and purposes he pretty much did. And the best thing about it is that he used the exact same methods that the god of the "holy books" did. Coercion, guilt-tripping, accusation, condemnation, idolation, fervor, fanaticism, indoctrination, evangelism; Stalin used it all, to a very effective extent. Let's consider this, shall we?
First, usurping: Religious institutions were the second largest power in the USSR, second only to the Party itself. They told people to do something other than venerate the party, so Stalin decided to get rid of them, since they were exhorting worship not of the party but of god. In fact a lot of churches outright opposed Stalin specifically because they saw him trying to usurp god as the object of sole worship. In this regard, you could say they were doing the right thing, but you'd be wrong; neither side is right, here. Both are demanding willful mindless unthinking self-enslavement to a single entity...they only differ in what entity that is. One is the party. One is "Yahweh." The differences after that? Zero. With the churches outlawed, the adherents being punished for not venerating Stalin as the one true entity of adulation, Stalin effectively destroyed his only real opposition, thus solidifying his power in both his mind and the minds of his countrymen.
Second, coercion, since this a short one. Christianity: Believers get to go to heaven, a paradise, a realm of succor and heavenly enlightenment. Stalinism: People unquestioningly obedient to the party get treats, like increased power over others, better benefits of food and luxury and other such earthly advantages. And also consider how important something simple like a loaf of bread was to the Soviet people at this time, given the famine ravaging their country, resulting in somewhere between 6-10 million people starving to death; the prospect of being able to have a better shot of getting food? And not just any food but SUSTENANCE? A fucking STEAK now and then? THAT, in such a situation, would pretty much be heaven.
Third, accusation, condemnation, and guilt-tripping. Christianity: If god on high through his priests/ministers/followers says you're doing wrong, who the fuck are you to argue otherwise? Stalinism: If Stalin on top of the Party through his commissariat/proletariat/police informants says you're doing wrong, who the fuck are you to argue otherwise?
Fourth, idolation, fervor, fanaticism, indoctrination, evangelism: Christianity: You are to idolize god, and only god, for breathing life into you, for providing you with this world and all its succor. The truly devout, those who get on their knees willfully and eagerly and pray with all their heart and soul to god to exhort and adulate him for all of his praises, are those most blessed and worthy and praised by god. To be ready to take the lives of your family and friends and all those you love out of the higher love for god is the best way to prove your faith to almighty god. To follow unquestioningly, and to birth more children and to spread the ideas to them, to your friends, to your family, is to do the true work of god. Stalinism: You are to idolize the party, and only the party, for liberating you, supposedly, from the yolk of your oppressors [the rich and greedy], for being so kind as to provide you with your bread and your purpose in life [to work for the party and therefore for a worthy cause]. The truly devout, those who sing the praises of Stalin and the party, who put their blood, sweat, and tears into their labors for the good of the Party, are those most dutiful and to be an example for all to follow. To be ready to rat out your friends, your family, your loved ones should they ever dare to question the Party is to gain higher status and be an example for all to follow. To follow what the party says unquestioningly, to birth more children and to bring others into the fold of the party, to provide more workers, to bring about more strength to the Soviet Union as a whole and to make all more powerful as a result is the greatest thing you can do.
Stalin used the very same methods that christianity and every other religion uses to gain power over the masses. He used the same methods of cruelty and false compassion that the religious had used throughout history, and he used it against them. Oh I see, now, why the Christians are so hateful towards Stalin: How DARE he use their own methods against them! How dare he say there is no god but the Party?! How dare he tear down their institutions and erect his own?! Brings to mind the crusades, the inquisition, the evangelism and tithes and the desecration of pagan and jewish and muslim places of worship, and the erection of christian places of worship over their ruins and the stealing of the victims' traditions for their own bastardized versions to strengthen their position over those they conquer, brings to mind how the abrahamic god demanded worship of no other god but he and how he punished those who transgressed this demand...doesn't it? Oh how it hurts when your own methods are turned against you, doesn't it?
The cruelty of irony.
But once again, I compare Stalin with God. God by nature would be an atheist, wouldn't he? For if he is the ultimate power, then he has no faith in a higher being, right? Stalin considered himself the ultimate power and his cult of personality shows this countless times throughout history, so of course he would have no faith in a higher power because he WAS the higher power. HE. WAS. GOD. In his mind, his eyes, and ultimately in the eyes of his countrymen and fellow party members, Stalin was god. He wasn't an atheist because he disbelieved in god, he was an atheist because he considered himself to be a god.
You want an example of the fanaticism? For the christians, it was the crusades and martyrs and saints. For the Soviets...I need only speak the city's name and those who know anything of history will know of what I mean, when I say "Stalingrad."
You want an example of how they used scapegoats and ideas of what to avoid to retain their influence? America/Capitalism, Satan/Hedonism.
Stalin was an atheist and totalitarian. He didn't have others killed in the name of atheism, though; he had them killed in the name of himself.
God is an atheist and totalitarian. He doesn't have others killed in the name of atheism, though; he has them killed in the name of himself.
So I conclude; Stalin was an atheist like God is an atheist. Atheism, and atheists, do not kill in the name of atheism...because as anyone with the ability to reason knows, you cannot kill in the name of a non-entity. But those of the totalitarian mindset DO kill in the name of their totalitarian entity of choice.
There is SO MUCH MORE I could use to expand on this but this post is already ridiculously long enough as it is, and if I REALLY need to have to expand further on it then whoever the fuck the mouth-breather is that is questioning this has no hope of ever getting it through their thick, empty skulls anyway and beyond that point it would be a waste of time.
But in conclusion: God/Stalin = The same fucking thing. NOBODY. KILLS. IN THE NAME. OF ATHEISM.
[Afterthought: After considering all that I just wrote and after considering how much more I could have added, I literally am aghast now that I seriously have to spell it out for anyone who doesn't get it. Literally unfuckingbelievable.]
