“STORMING OF HEAVEN.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19500, 8 June 1925, Page 13

“STORMING OF HEAVEN.”

BOLSHEVIST WAR ON HEAVEN. VIOLENCE AND BLASPHEMY. In a recent speech on the “’truth about Russia, ’’ Mr John Bromley, M.P., one of the trade union delegates who visited Bolshevist Russia last year as guests of the Soviet Government, attempted, among other things, to “explode’’ the “capitalist lies’’ about the persecution of the Church and religion in the “Peasants and Workers Republic, ” but (says the Russian correspondent cf the Morning Post) he merely succeeded in proving by his sweeping and unverihed statements how completely the Bolshevists had achieved their aims in misleading and deceiving the British trade unionists as regards the real state of affairs in Russia. f ‘lt was untrue,” declared Mr Bromley, “that religion was suppressed. The Russians had merely disestablished their State Church and spent no money on religions teaching. All religion, however, was free, and worship went on in the church.’’ Having in my possession at present abundant evidence provided by the Bolshevists themselves, in, the form of official decrees, speeches, articles, pamphlets, books, etc.,, by loading and responsible members of the Soviet Government and of the Russian Cmnrnunist Party, which proves beyond all doubt that- the abovequoted statement made by Mr J. Bromley and similar pronouncements made by his colleagues arc a string of mis-statemonta from beginning' to end, I will outline the progress of War on the Church and Religion as declared by the Bolshevists as far back as 1905, and which now has assumed the proportions of one of the most vile and dangerous manias that has ever obsessed the mind of man. All the excerpts, decrees, speeches, figures and facts quoted in this and the following articles are taken exclusively from books, periodicals, and newspapers published in Soviet Russia by or under the control ot the official publicity departments of the Soviet Government and the Communist Party, and therefore constitute evidence which cannot be dismissed by Mr Bromley and his friends as “ White-Guard lies. OPIUM FOR THE PEOPLE The Bolshevists opened their war on religion in general and on the Christian Church in particular as far buck <ia UOo, the “ offensive against heaven being proclaimed by Lenin himself in an entitled “Socialism and Religion (soo N. Lenin. Collected Works. Vol. VII, Part 1, V. 47). , , „ . ’’Religion is opium for the people, ho wrote. “Religion is one of the woist forms of spiritual oppression. Religion is a spiritual dope in which the slaves of capitalism drown their sorrows. Our propaganda must include also the propogation at atheism.” _ . , ~ “ The words “ Religion is Opium for the People” .have been chosen by the Soviet Government as the chief slogan for its campaign against tho Church, and arc to be seen to-day painted m enormous rou letter over the Holy Shrine of Our Lady of Hyboria at the entrance to the Rod Square in Moscow. . , . . „ . As the above-quoted article first appeal ed in a Russian Socialist paper published freely under tho Tsarist Government m I otrograd at a time when the Bolsheviks did not as yet dare dream of assuming povycr and when they were afraid of arousing tho hostility of the God-fearing Russian masses by a too outspoken expounding ot atheism, ’ Lenin, true to .his opportune methods, took tho precaution to add that “religion is a private matter, which every Socialist must, decide for himself . • but the Socialist proletariat must demand the complete disestablishment of Urn Church.” . In 1909 Lenin again wrote; Wo must religion! Wc must learn to tiglii religion. Our preaching of atheism must bo subordinated to and co-ordinated with our main task—the devlopment of the class struggle of tho exploited masses against the exploiters.”—Lenin. Col. Wks., Vol. 11, Part I, pp. 250-260. AN ANTI-RELIGIOUS AGITATION. “In 1305,’’ writog Yaroslavsky, an exGeneral Secretary of the Communist Tarty, and at present the unofficial People s Commissary for War on Religion, in his ie-contly-publisherl pamphlet (“Lcmn on Religion,” Soviet State Publishing Dept., Moscow 1925), “wo wore compiled to regard religion as a purely private matter, but later, when the Russian workers’ party was victorious in tho revolution, when we bad already disestablished tho Church, Lenm endorsed clause 13 of our party programme and the resolution proposed by me and passed by tho Central Committee, of the Communist Party regarding tho violations of clause. 13 by members. ’ This thirteenth clause of the party programme reads as follows; “In the matter of religion tho Russian Communist Party refuses to he satisfied with the already proclaimed decree for fin disestablishment of the Church, which i” merely a measure that bourgeois democracy has also included in its programme, but as vot has nowhere in the world. enforced. 1 In Russian Communist Party is striving b completely sever and destroy all links be. tween tbc exploited masses and the .01 garr nation of religious propaganda, and is itself organising a widespread aul i-religious agita In September, 1921, the Communist. 1 ati' issued the following regulations on liiesos “concerning the violation of Art. to of tin Party Programme referring to religion ‘T No per-on who fulfills llic duties however small or insignificant, of a mini.trant of whatsoever form of religious cim will be admi'tcd to membership ot tin “2. No person of intellectual or bompeois origin may lie admitted to membership of the paity unless be or she solemnly declares himself or herself in com,pie >■ agreement with Ait. 13 All educated con scions, and- intellectual mumoers of tin party must not only strictly adhere to Arl. 13, but must also take an active part n, our cultural-enlightenment work duectei. against religion. • • ■ • “4 411 members of the party occupy mg responsible posts both in tho Soviet Govern; mont administration and in the party isil; bo immediately expelled from its ranks .!■ the event of their violating Art. 13 or in amtaining any connection whatsoever vma an> form of religious cult.” “From the point of view of the party ol the Socialist Proletariat,” writes the same Yaroslavsky in another of bis books ( ‘lithe Anti-Religious Front, Moscow, 1j24) “religion is not, and cannot be, a private matter for the individual. “The party cannot and will not .adopt an indifference towards the lack ol consciousness, tho ignorance, .and obscurant ideas professed oy religions . .cachings Our party, our union of the Socialist m.olctariab has been created, among other things with the express purpose ot fighting. ah attempts to, fool tho workers by rebuilt is not only possible to live without faith in God, but more faith in God prevents people from enjoying life, prevents (hem from fighting with assurance, from acting with decision and courage. One cannot ho a follower of Lenin am! at the same time believe in God !” NOT MERELY DISESTABLISHMENT. The contention now put forward by (he friends of Bolshevism in England who arc attempting to mislead public opinion as bo the real aims of the Soviet war on religion, that “the Russians have merely disestablished their State Church” has been refuted long ago by the official Soviet pres;itself. The Petrograd “Krasnaya Gazette wrote on April 6, 1923: “In order to keep its grip on the lower classes tho bourgeoisie bad at its disposal not only material means, but moral ones also; the press, the school, and the church. We have already done away with the freedom of the press—we have scored the. most important point by getting all the printing presses into our hands. To the school wc arc also putting an end—the elementary schools are ours entirely, tho higher schools are being gradually proletarianised, and are already half on our side. There remains the church. The working class of Soviet Russia lias already got rid of tho prejudices on which religion and the church are founded 'The church has been finally disestablished. It is isolated from the proletarian Government, and ceases to bo an instrument of the Government. But can wo stop here? No, we cannot! It is not sufficient that wo merely do not utilise religion in the interests of tho Government as it used to be in the old clays—onr task is to light against religion, and we do it. In the school, in the clubs. at our meetings, everywhere wo are opposing mysticism and devilry by materialistic ideas. But it is net sufficient to Tight religion in a purely scientific way; we must introduce a political element into the struggle. Religion and the Church are bound up with the bourgeoisie, the working class, which is out to exterminate the bourgeoisie, must also combat energetically and actively the instruments of its domination.” The Rabochaya Moskva wrote in September, 1922: “Wo must do away with tho Counter-revolutionary Church. Il represents the last stronghold of the reactionary forces of the bourgeoisie. Wo must go on fighting religions prejudices and supersti-

tions. Our aim is not to ‘renovate or ‘reform’ the Church, but to abolish it completely, to eradicate, do away with all religion.” ‘THE ATHEIST.” In 1923 the Moscow Committee of the Communist Party started the publication of a special periodical, entitled the Bezbozhmk, or Atheist, devoted exclusively to anto religious propaganda. This publication, which bears on every issue the imprint ‘‘official organ of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party.” is composed entirely of obscene and blasphemous cartoons and anecdotes, intermingled with “serious articles” by loading members of the Soviet Government and the Communist Party. In tilth of language and grossness of its so-called “illustrations” this publication has undoubtedly never been rivalled. Its first issue contains a “leading article” by Bukharin, the author of “The A.B.C. of Communism.” and one of the chiefs of Russian Bolshevism. It is entitled “ Come on —let us fight the international gods !” “The Russian proletariat,” writes Bukharin, “has, as you know, knocked the crown off. the Czar, and not only the crown, but the Czar’s head also. 'The German proletariat has knocked off Wilhelm’s crown, but, unfortunately, his head is still in its place. The Austrian workers got to the crown all right, but the head evaded them, and Karl got so frightened that he died in exile. Quite recently the Greeks knocked another crown off. So you see it has become on earth at least—rather a risky thing, to wear a crown. But in Heaven things are different. The international gocis, like the international ‘imperialists, are still very strong. They are strutting about up there in their golden robes stroking their long white beards, wearing their gold crowns, and collecting tributes and taxes from the inhabitants of the earth. Now, comrades, do yon not think that the times has come to put an end to this also? It is time we laid our hands on the crowns in Heaven. To begin with wo must first of all start publishing auti-re.iigions and atheist pamphlets. That is the way to start the great revolution among the gods in Heaven, the storming of Heaven. It is true that the gods have an army of their own, and even, I am told, a police, with Saint George as Commander-in-chief, while in Hell they keep their torturc-chamhers, Cho-Ka, and court-martials. But, never mind, we are not afraid, we have seen worse things on earth. So, comrades, _wo have decided to put forward the following demands: The abolition of monarchism in Hcavon; the abolition of all titles, orders, ranks, crowns, etc. ; tho eviction of all gods from all churches, and their confinement to the collars; the arraignment of all gods and their servants the priests, as the cause of all misfortunes on earth, befoio a proletarian revolutionary tribunal. In the meantime, comrades, let us start a campaign against the gods in the press. Russians, niggers, Japs. Jews, and Chinese, send us your complaints against your gods! Up in arms against the gods. Workers of the world, form a united front against these nc’er-do-wclis swindlers that call themselves gods! It is lime to get at them and finish them off.” In a later issue of the same periodical (March, 1923) another well-known Communist, Loginoff, declares that Christianity is the religion of the bourgeoise regime, and the New Testament is merely a code of bourgeoise morals. . “Christ was born and lived only in the imagination of His admirers, declares the same periodical (the Atheist, No. 1.).