Marxist-Leninist 'scientific atheism' and the study of religion and atheism in the USSR today
The Marxist-Leninist critique of religion the most fundamental, the most thorough, the most widespread and the most sustained critique to which the religions of the world have, as yet, been subjected. Where governments have come into being inspired by the world-outlook of Marxism-Leninism, the educational and administrative offensive which they have launched against religion has been one of their most persistent features. Church-State relations in the Communist world have, however, been amply documented and analysed and it is not my intention to duplicate such studies as already exist; nor is it my intention to deal in detail with popular Communist anti-religious propaganda, for again such studies already exist. My intention is, rather, to look at the way in which Soviet Marxism-Leninism has developed its own distinctive Problematik and methodology for the study of religion and atheism, for I believe that this has important implications for the study of religion as a whole. The study which I present is, therefore, neither a political, nor a sociological, still less a theological study of Marxism and religion, but an attempt from within the discipline of religious studies - Religionswissenschaft - to articulate
Thrower, James Arthur
Philosophy
Marxist-Leninist 'scientific atheism' and the study of religion and atheism in the USSR today. The Marxist-Leninist critique of religion the most fundamental, the most thorough, the most widespread and the most sustained critique to which the religions of the world have, as yet, been subjected. Where governments have come into being inspired by the world-outlook of Marxism-Leninism, the educational and administrative offensive which they have launched against religion has been one of their most persistent features. Church-State relations in the Communist world have, however, been amply documented and analysed and it is not my intention to duplicate such studies as already exist; nor is it my intention to deal in detail with popular Communist anti-religious propaganda, for again such studies already exist. My intention is, rather, to look at the way in which Soviet Marxism-Leninism has developed its own distinctive Problematik and methodology for the study of religion and atheism, for I believe that this has important implications for the study of religion as a whole. The study which I present is, therefore, neither a political, nor a sociological, still less a theological study of Marxism and religion, but an attempt from within the discipline of religious studies - Religionswissenschaft - to articulate
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