Bolsheviks and the Orthodox Church
Communism Became the New Religion, and Lenin Its High Priest
Oct 29, 2008
In 1918, when the Bolsheviks announced a separation of Church and State, a veritable war against religion was declared. The Orthodox Church was seen as a bastion of conservatism. Indeed, the Church had supported the Whites during the civil war. Moreover, the Orthodox Church threatened the power of the Bolsheviks; Communism was to replace religion after the Russian Revolution.
Church Property Seized by Bolsheviks
Church property was seized for the State. This removed citizens' locations of worship. In addition, sacred images, objects used in religious services, and other related paraphernalia was carried away by officials or by ordinary citizens. Objects of cultural, religious, and historical value were lost, destroyed, or sold during this confiscation of church property.
Anti-Church Propaganda
The Bolsheviks waged their war on religion by using anti-church propaganda. They sought to replace religious holidays, like Easter and Christmas, with State-sanctioned holidays that commemorated the virtues of Lenin and the State instead of God.
In addition, the miracle of religion was debunked and its authority destroyed. Venerated icons and relics were demonstrated to be objects without spiritual value. Lessons on religion were forbidden in schools and replaced with atheistic education. Marriage was reduced to a civil service, and divorce was easily granted upon agreement of two married individuals.
Priests and the War on Religion
Thousands of priests were denounced as counter-revolutionaries, even though they may have joined the revolutionary movement. Priests represented the most threatening element of the Orthodox Church – they could use words to convince others of the Church's legitimacy even if all churches were closed, all icons removed, and all holidays secularized. Priests were imprisoned or executed, and, in some cases, used for State purposes to denounce God and the Church. Refusal to comply meant torture or death.
Communism as a Metaphor for Religion
Where religion had created institutions – in marriage, in baptism, with annual celebrations, or as a sanctuary for the troubled or downtrodden – the Bolsheviks stepped in to fashion metaphors for these institutions that reflected their ideology. Followers of God were now to follow the cult of Lenin. Lenin has been compared to a high priest and a god during the Bolsheviks' war on the Orthodox Church, and he acted as both. The Red Star replaced the cross. Instead of hymns, people sang songs in praise of the State. Even religious ceremonies were performed with the likeness of Lenin watching over the participants.
References
Dziewanowski, M.K. A History of Soviet Russia. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989. 98-99.
Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. 745-749.
Kenez, Peter. A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 72-73.
