(May 9, 2020 at 12:11 am)WinterHold Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 12:01 am)Brian37 Wrote: Lets not limit human mythological tribalism to one religion.

Jews and Buddhists and Hindus also have their own history of fighting others and infighting.

Religion of all labels does not prevent violence. There is not one nation on the face of the planet that does not have prisons and hospitals.

Let's not forget about non-religious maniacs like Stalin.

Stalin was Russian orthodox christian for most of his life, including the years between 1941 and his death.

(May 9, 2020 at 11:00 am)Nomad Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 12:11 am)WinterHold Wrote: Let's not forget about non-religious maniacs like Stalin.

Stalin was Russian orthodox christian for most of his life, including the years between 1941 and his death.

He was a seminary student at one point. And after Operation Barbarossa kicked off in 1941 he ordered the churches reopened and the icons restored to their traditional places. He was soft on religion.

(May 9, 2020 at 11:09 am)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 11:00 am)Nomad Wrote: Stalin was Russian orthodox christian for most of his life, including the years between 1941 and his death.

He was a seminary student at one point. And after Operation Barbarossa kicked off in 1941 he ordered the churches reopened and the icons restored to their traditional places. He was soft on religion.

Let me add, Communism isn't about oppressing religion, but any kind of dissent. There are Christian Churches in Russia, and even China, and Cuba has tons of Catholic Churches.

As long as you tow the party line in any of those states, odds are they will leave you alone. 

As an atheist, being as vocal as I am about government, I would be quickly arrested or murdered by those states if I lived in any of them.

(May 9, 2020 at 2:34 pm)Brian37 Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 11:09 am)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote: He was a seminary student at one point. And after Operation Barbarossa kicked off in 1941 he ordered the churches reopened and the icons restored to their traditional places. He was soft on religion.

Let me add, Communism isn't about oppressing religion, but any kind of dissent. There are Christian Churches in Russia, and even China, and Cuba has tons of Catholic Churches.

As long as you tow the party line in any of those states, odds are they will leave you alone. 

As an atheist, being as vocal as I am about government, I would be quickly arrested or murdered by those states if I lived in any of them.

I wouldn’t.

Standing up for your principles is all well and good, but if my choices are ‘towing’ the party line or twenty years in a North Korean labour camp, I’d be singing hymns of praise to the beloved Supreme Leader so fast the air would crackle.

Boru

*toe the line

(May 9, 2020 at 3:14 pm)Belacqua Wrote: *toe the line

I know.

Boru

During WWII units down to the squad level would have weekly self-criticism meetings where each person was required to state why they had not been a good communist and what they would do to correct this in the future. Micro-mind-management.

(May 9, 2020 at 3:17 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 3:14 pm)Belacqua Wrote: *toe the line

I know.

Boru

Tongue and cheek - amIright?

(May 9, 2020 at 2:34 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Let me add, Communism isn't about oppressing religion, but any kind of dissent. There are Christian Churches in Russia, and even China, and Cuba has tons of Catholic Churches.

That's a good point. Any kind of dissent is either taken to the gulag or disappears

I recently found myself asking what the difference is between the communist and socialist economic structures
What I found is that we use the terms incorrectly, especially communism. There has never really been a communist country even though thats what we called the old Russians. Some dictionary definitions also has things mixed up

In a capitalist society the big money industries are owned by private entities

In a socialist society the big money industries are owned by the state

Communism is a Marx concept of a utopia. It says that the public have equal shares in companies whose profits are equally divided
Eg. A company has 100 employees. They all have an equal share in the company and earn an equal slice of the profit. 
Weather or not it could ever work is an interesting discussion

Then there is fascism. Its sits on the right hand side of the political spectrum which i don't really understand why
It's economical structure is the same as socialism with the state owning the big industries. So is it a form of socialism
I heard someone say "socialism is when the state dominates industry and Fascism is when industry dominates the state"
I don't really see much ideological differences either, both are very nationalist. Maybe someone here can better explain the differences between fascism and socialism

These are very basic definitions as the subject gets really complex

(May 9, 2020 at 3:40 pm)arewethereyet Wrote:

(May 9, 2020 at 3:17 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I know.

Boru

Tongue and cheek - amIright?

Sort of. Other people correct Brian and it’s not a thing. I correct Brian and get excoriated for it.

Funny old thing, life.

Boru