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Posted on 04/29/2025 1:12:57 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Stalin, a cynical and clever leader, didn’t experience any epiphany but simply knew that taking it easy on the Orthodox Church was important for winning the war. First, many Soviet citizens remained secretly religious (which was not directly forbidden), so the “legalization” of Orthodoxy helped to keep the nation at war united – quite a crucial thing. Second, the Allies were pushing Stalin towards loosening his grip on the religious: the oppression of the faithful was bad publicity, internationally speaking. Third, in 1943 the Red Army was regaining the Soviet lands previously occupied by Germans. The occupants, trying to gain public support, had reopened churches closed by the Bolsheviks – and it would have been strange indeed had the liberators reclosed them.
Stalin understood all of that and acted accordingly. His biographer, historian Oleg Khlevniuk, wrote: “Moving from the iconoclast approach of the 1920s – 1930s, from mass repressions against priests and believers to a reconciliation was a demonstrative, practical move. Such a shift in the Soviet policy towards religion is to be viewed within the context of encouraging Russian patriotism.”
Stalin kept his promise to the Church hierarchs: in 1943, they held the first election of a Patriarch in 20 years, won by Sergius. In return for loyalty and support for the authorities, Stalin let the Orthodox Church be: of course, the state remained atheist but priests were not imprisoned and killed anymore. The next wave of anti-Church repressions occurred during the rule of Nikita Khrushchev, in the 1960s, but was far less blood-shedding.
(Excerpt) Read more at rbth.com ...
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All is cynical when the government gets involved. There is NOTHING they do that is not layered in backhanded liberation.
In Victor Sheymov’s book Tower of Secrets he said those showing marginal ability as KBB agents were sent off to train for leadership positions in the church.
Wow. Such a "rehabilitation". This article is historical revision.
Yeah. So many Russians told me how the Church was repressed right up until the USSR fell. Although they tolerated little old ladies attending services, teachers would stand outside of churches on Sundays taking note of any child who accompanied grandma to church, and then cruelly shaming those children in front of the class on Monday. I don’t think they were lying to me.
In schools they would tell children to pray to God for candy. And nothing happened. Then they told the children to ask Comrade Stalin for candy, and candy rained down from the ceiling.
Back when the Left LOVED them some Russia.
Condo why don’t you explain about the world communist workers party and how the American Communist Party, along with the Democratic Socialists of America, are the American chapters under Moscow.
Before the DNC began hiding their public membership in 1998, the DNC had 78 congressmen and senators in these two antiAmetican political parties.
Bring folks up to sped on why Nuland, Obama, Biden, and the CIA/State Department partnered with the Ukraine Nazi party, because they were the most antiRussian Ukrainians to be found.
Since 2006, 2012, 2014... US and European countries have slipped into facism as they partnered openly with a Nazi government. The EU in Brussels now exists to go to war with Russian.
France, Britan, Ukraine all jailed political opposition opposed to war in Ukraine. Biden almost jailed Trump. Romanian leader was nearly killed for a neutral stance over Ukraine. Urban was essentially denied it’s presidency turn in the EU because they voted against stealing frozen Russian assets.
Maybe Obama and Biden simply wanted to bring the World Communist Workers Party HQ and the Democratic Socialist from Moscow to DC?
I never heard that one! Yikes!
They were not lying about communism.
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