So I overheard one person I know telling another person I know that "socialism and communism are evil and the church is very clear on that" (referring to the catholic church). And I'm trying to channel my burning frustration about it into asking what people know about communism and how it has interacted with religion more generally, but also catholicism especially, now or historically. I super hard doubt what this person said was even remotely correct, but I could believe that the catholic church takes a wishy washy fence-sitting stance because it tends to on a number of things.
At any rate, it's something I should know better because I do have catholic people in my life and so sometimes there may be a need to talk to them about these things through the framing of religion to get past the "communism is purely atheistic" type thinking.
Answers from your own knowledge or resources that go into it are both welcomed. I don't really know how to approach looking for it on my own in this instance because a lot of western religious material is probably influenced by colonizer thinking, or in the US, influenced by red scare nonsense.
There were some Jews in the early Soviet Union who harmonized Judaism with scientific socialism, and the folk who run the Minyan have affectionately described communism as 'Jewish', though my own familiarity with Jewish scripture, traditions and ancient history is too meager to explain why. Perhaps @[email protected] can elaborate if he feels comfortable doing so.
Since historically organized religions have frequently worked on behalf of oppressors, I unfortunately cannot blame the Bolsheviki too much for cracking down on them (which undoubtedly resulted in some collateral damage); this is largely why so many religious establishments loathe communism. Even today there are more than a few communists and other socialists who are antitheists, but I think that that is the wrong attitude to have, since religion (including organized religion) does not need to be reactionary. I would much prefer that organised religions be transformed rather than destroyed.
I hope that this response helps you. Perhaps you know a few Catholics who cherish Judaism and would be curious to learn how it is compatible with communism.
Excellent, I share similar views, comrade. The fact that very easily religion "suddenly" became a phenomenon on post-Soviet countries is a testament that even with constant materialist anti-religion propaganda, you'll just give people reason to be bitter with your regime, even if you give them all they need. Because religion is a matter of identity, something fostered through generations of family lineage, and in summary acquired socially. We can't change this through intervention, we can only help the political struggle against bourgeois ideology and exploitation in religion