The case for St Stalin - 1 Aug 08

The Communist party in St Petersburg has petitioned the Orthodox Church to canonise Joseph Stalin, the late Soviet dictator.

The request is drawing criticism in Russia since Stalin, a devout atheist, was responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians during his 31-year reign.

Al Jazeera's Roza Ibrahimova reports.

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• Ibrahimova
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[1classicliberal]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha­hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahah­ahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha­hahahahahah

maybe its just me being a silly Roman Catholic but, is this guy actually being SERIOUS about canonizing Stalin

NOOOO!!!!! its to funny a joke to be serious

[maxime32]

@siralucard19

So, in summary, Stalin bears guilt, but he is not *the one to blame* for violent atheism in the post-Civil War era. His own writings usually reveal a more moderate tone. The older Russians I have spoken to blame undisciplined, fanatical urban Communists for much of the political violence in that time period.

[maxime32]

@siralucard19

Perhaps the 50s were not as barbaric in their repression as the 30s. I think that is universally accepted. But what I cannot accept is the impression that Stalin is 100% responsible for KPSS actions at least until about the mid-late 30s. Even then, yes, these things went on, but they were also reversed. I find atheism in Stalin's writings in the 20s and 30s but not a virulent sort like is seen from the largely atheist-Jewish Left Oppositionists.

[siralucard19]

@maxime32 Kruschev just closed down the churches buuut in the '20s and '30s churches, mosques, sinagogues, temples were demolished, hundreds of thousands oh innocent monks, nuns and priests were shot or buried alive, Hrusciov wasn't that monsterous as Djugasvili

[maxime32]

@mikeplay007

Well, most of the church destructions and priest persecutions were in the mid-late-30s, so I am afraid that is not true. Of course, then everyone was a potential target, and I do agree that the Trotskyists were the ones who REALLY hated the Church.

Trotsky was a left-extremist psychopath and probably had links to NYC BIG MONEY. This is the basis for a lot of the 30s paranoia that also affected the church.

[maxime32]

@moodymetalman

Crawl back under your rock and confine your immature death-and-destruction fantasies to insects and slugs.

[maxime32]

@siralucard19

Firstly, your numbers are inflated by five or six times. Secondly, the man said the Russian Communist Party (not same as Soviet, which was banned under Yeltsin) has repented for the Bolshevik legacy vis-a-vis persecution of the church.

The Church was in favour and well active from WW2 through to Stalin's death. Xruschjov repersecuted it and shut down 90% of churches.

History is a lot more complex than you know. It was not the Stalinists who most hated the Church.

[maxime32]

@Ianpbx

the mainstream of the party is no longer Marxist-Leninist, that is true, but 'worship' is not the correct translation of the Russian used. The Orthodox do not worship icons, they reverence them.

But any successful socialism in Russia must take into account its Christian heritage and a Christian Socialist ideology. The murderous atheistic Marxism of the past and murderous atheistic capitalism of the present are enemies of the Russian people.

[maxime32]

"worship" is not the right choice of translation, and is, in fact, rather offensive to Orthodox Christians, implying they worship the images.

[slickrickdarula]

lol lol lol this is good shit