Atheistic State

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 66, 19 March 1936, Page 2

Atheistic State

MILLIONS OF RUSSIANS CHURCH ATTENDANCE SLIGHT The Bolsheviks believe that religion is doomed in Russia. Emelyan Yaroslavski, head of the Godless League, in a recent issue of the league’s magazine, declared that there are between thirty and forty million persons in Russia “who have severed relations-with religion,” and this appears to be a reasonable calculation. In the Godless League thc Communist Party, the Young Communist League, and the Pioneers (the Communist organisation for children), there arc alone 20,000,000 members, and ail are committed to atheism. Tho remainder of a population of 170,000,000 people, which includes adherents of almost every known creed, certainly counts scores of millions whose interest in religion is slight and who, though they may keep an ikon in the corner of the room, do so merely because of a superstitious fear of removing it. Many such cases exist in Moscow. Church attendance in Moscow is slight, and the Soviet six-day week, with its “Rest Days” on the 6th, 12th, ISth, 24tli, and 30th of every month is deliberately calculated to keep peoplo at their jobs instead of in church on Sundays.