Author’s Note: What follows is a diary entry included in Alexander Werth’s epic 1947 book that records the events surrounding the momentous Battle of Stalingrad - which occurred in 1942. Werth spent much of the war-years between 1941-1945 ensconced as a BBC Journalist in the USSR and witnessed first-hand the brutality of the Catholic-supported Nazi German invasion - and attempted genocide - of that country’s population. Of course, the USSR was in fact fifteen diverse countries united in their joint other-throwing of the Bourgeoisie and the vicious capitalist system it practiced. At least three of these Republics, although ‘Socialist’, were nevertheless historically and culturally ‘Buddhist’. A number of Red Army regiments were formed containing ‘Buddhist’ men and women who fought bravely to defend the USSR from external attack! Of course, the West exercises a mixture of racially motivated ‘ignoring’, ‘disinforming’ and ‘misinforming’ when it comes to recording Soviet history. Soviet ‘Buddhists’ were good Communists – as Werth records. Furthermore, as we live in changing times in Bourgeois society - the manner in which Werth describes 'Tanya' is a product of his time and considered today as being 'insensitive' at best and 'discriminative' at worst. I certainly do not endorse this type of demeaning narrative. On the other hand, the historical data Werth conveys is infinitely valuable in the face of wall-to-wall US anti-intellectualism. Think for yourselves and make-up your own minds. As the (British-educated) Werth could read, write and speak Russian fluently, (he was born in Russia - but his family migrated to the UK when he was very young), he takes a rather stern and overly critical attitude toward the Soviet method of providing authoritative translation textbooks (conveying correct Russian to Asiatic language translations and vice versa) – which were then deployed amongst the non-Russian populations by specially trained Cadres of young people who could not necessarily understand the language of the non-Russian ethnicities to any great degree (as they did not have to). This Soviet method allowed a few genuine experts in all the included languages to centrally compile these textbooks - which were then printed in their tens of thousands and quickly distributed freely to the masses – thus enhancing communication and cultural exchange. In a very real sense, Cadres such a ‘Tanya’ featured below – acted as a proto-search engine – with the caveat that unlike the universal translators of the modern internet age, the translations she supplied were ‘correct’ and ‘sound’. Once again, if indeed another example is needed, we see the ‘corruption’ of the Lamaist system of landlordism which the Communist Party of China has thoroughly over-thrown in Tibet and China! Although John Snelling – of the Buddhist Society in London – once published a book about ‘Buddhism in Russia’, he did so by completely ignoring the English language evidence provided by Werth, a fellow Britain who had lived in the USSR for many years of his life! After-all, people like Snelling were pursuing the hidden agenda of conforming to the strictures of US anti-intellectualism during the so-called ‘Cold War’ and misrepresenting the USSR through the agency of Buddhism. For the record, I do not agree with the arbitrary ransacking of temples or stealing Buddha statues – as this is the behaviour of the Western imperialists (a process which can be clearly observed in the British Museum). Local people taking matters into their own hands, however, is an issue involving the self-governing of Revolutionary activities, and the situation explained below should be interpreted in this context. (25.9.2023) November 23 (1942) ‘The other day I got to know, through Ludmilla, an enormously fat girl, tall, red-cheeked, and ginger-haired, called Tanya – with legs like Doric pillars. She seems to be vaguely married to somebody – or divorced; I don’t know. Anyway, this formidable fat blonde is said to drive all the Caucasians and Asiatic crazy, whenever she visits their countries. She’s on a good racket. She translates into smooth Russian verse the works of Azerbaijan, Buriat-Mongol, Yakut and God knows whatever poets. She doesn’t know any of their languages, of course, but she is given a literal translation, and then concocts a poem with roughly the same idea, and it’s often called “Translated from the Buriat-Mongol,” etc. It’s a well-paid and well-encouraged racket, and she claims that Stalin himself was delighted with her Buriat-Mongol Poems. It’s done in the name of a closer acqiantance amongst the peoples of the Soviet Union, and these “translators” are given some wonderful facilities by the Writers’ Union. Thus, Tanya, has travelled by plane, ship, carriage, reindeer, sleigh, railway, and every other means of locomotion all over Western Siberia, and Yakutia, and right up to the Siberian Arctic coast, and all through Central Asia and Mongolia, and also the Caucasus. She is full of good stories about life in Yakutia, now quite a reasonably large town, and almost a metropolis in north-Siberian terms, and about all the remarkable adventurous characters one meets there – trappers, and sea captains who sometimes hibernate in the Bear Islands and Wrangel Island. She also tells stories of Buriat-Mongolia – of the secretary of the Obkom who as a youngster became famous for killing the most notorious bandit of the region; he came home one day and threw the bandit’s head on the family dinner-table, much to his mother’s horror. “He has an extraordinary face,” said Tanya, “very and pale, a perfect Mongolian face, with grey temples and black fiery eyes.” He had also led the young people’s revolt against the Lamas. When the Buriat-Mongolian Communists heard Stalin had expressed approval of Tanya’s translations from Buriat-Mongolian, they ransacked a distant temple and presented her with a whole trunkful of Buddhas. When I went to her flat the other day – she shares her house with some other people – I found that she still had a few Buddhas left; the rest had been looted by her friends, while some had been destroyed in the bombing of Moscow last year when there was a fire in the house where she was living. One of the Buddhas she carries around everywhere and seems to be very superstitious about it. She also owns a remarkable brass statue from a Buddhist temple – an unbelievably erotic affair.’ Alexander Werth: The Year of Stalingrad, Simon, (2001), Book III - The Defensive Battle – Chapter V - Moscow in October and November, Pages 327-328 English Language Reference:
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Thank you for your email requesting data regarding the historical CPC in Tibet. The ethnic Tibetans (prior to their conversion to 'Buddhism') were a very violent 'warrior' ethnicity and invaded large swathes of Western and Southwestern geographical China during the 10th century CE - and continued to re-settle these vast areas (such as Sichuan and Yunnan, etc_, although both 'names' and 'boundaries have changed over the centuries as Dynasties have come and gone. This is why millions of Tibetans (the Tibetan 'diaspora') today live outside of geographical Tibet - inside of geographical China. It is also why (and 'now') Tibet became (politically) part of China. Why Did Democratic Reform Take Place in Tibet in 1959? YOUNGER BROTHER OF THE DALAI LAMA: “WHEN THE 14TH DALAI LAMA IS GONE, WE ARE DONE!” INTERNAL DIVISIONS IN THE DALAI CLIQUE INTENSIFY TIBET: YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE REACHES 160,000 MEMBERS WITH 6.700 ORGANISATIONS! (2012) Adapting to Socialist Society: Right Action - and the Development of Tibetan Buddhism When Serfs Stood Up in Tibet - Anna Louis Strong THE BRUTALITY AND BARBARISM OF FEUDAL TIBET (PRE-1949) BOOK REVIEW: EXPOSING ‘YOUNGHUSBAND’ BY PATRICK FRENCH (2022) Indeed, so unruly were the Tibetans in Southwest China under the 13th Dalai Lama (attacking and killing Westerners - as well as Chinese and Tibetan converts to Christianity whilst also destroying their Churches, etc) - that the new (post-1911) 'Nationalist' government gave-in to Western imperialist pressure and sent a substantial (punitive) field army (under the Command of one 'General Li') into the area only - to be diverted by the efforts of (Han) Chinese Buddhist Master Xu Yun (1840-1859) - who met with General Li and persuaded him to use peaceful means in quelling the Tibetan unrest. Note that this issue had nothing to do with geographical Tibet - which even then was considered 'remote', difficult to 'access' and culturally 'primitive' by comparison. However, although the British invaded Tibet a number of times during the late 1800s and early 1900s), the West in principle had no objection geographical Tibet being part of political China whilst under the political control of the Western-friendly Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Western-friendly and Christian-friendly Nationalist Administration (1911-1949). The CIA-generated myth of 'Tibetan Independence' probably dates to the late 1950s - even though the 14th Dalai Lama was an ally of Nazi Germany both before and during WWII - continuing to grant asylum to Nazi War Criminals into the late 1950s, etc. Just as the Qing and Nationalist governments maintained a sophisticated political administrative network throughout geographical Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora living within Southwest China, it logically follows that there existed (at different times - centred in different places) numerous 'mirroring' branches of the 'Communist Party of China' (CPC) which were kept secret for security reasons, but which were often found-out and/or betrayed by bourgeois or imperialist spies and ultimately 'liquidated' from time to time. All we have left is a few very old Red Flags, and perhaps one or two 'written' reports in the National Archives of China. A similar situation exists with the Communist Party branch that once thrived in Taiwan - although it is 'illegal' today with all vestiges of it destroyed by orders of the occupying Japanese (1895-1945) and subsequently the Americans (1945-present)! We have included a link above to the work of US journalist - Anna Louis Strong - who witnessed first-hand the time periods you are interested in - namely before, during and after the peaceful (and by all accounts 'enthusiastic') Liberation of Tibet (c. 1959)! Best Wishes BMA (UK) Admin Below is a link to a UK government page supporting the Falun Gong Cult and perpetuating the ‘myth’ of forced organ transplant amongst this Cult’s following – and supposedly the Uyghur population! I have been asked to investigate this website by my colleagues in the CPC: Interestingly, the Vatican – which hates Communist China – carried-out an independent investigation regarding China’s medical system (which included an examination into the practice of voluntary ‘organ transplant’ with China’s ‘Socialist’ System) and concluded that forced organ harvesting in China is a ‘myth’ perpetuated by the ‘Falun Gong Cult’ in the service of foreign powers! The Western media ignored this finding because it contradicts the official line emanating from Washington! Above is an aerial view of the CIA-provided mansion given to Li Hongzhi by the taxpayers of America! The UK government page (the ‘links’ to which are deliberately designed to ‘hinder’ the casual enquirer and ‘confuse’ the more ‘seasoned’ investigator) – pretends to support the full range of freedom of belief (which should give equal weight to non-believing in religious dogma) – but in reality is a ‘front’ expressing a one-sided preference for religious belief over the practice (and ‘teaching’) of atheism and non-theism.
This is a clear expression of US anti-intellectualism manifested by the UK government in the service of predatory capitalism. Furthermore, it continues the ‘inverted’ policy of presenting ‘Socialist’ China as being nothing but an Asian manifestation of Nazi Germany – exactly the same policy the US used against the USSR once Nazi Germany (and her Allies) had been completely defeated by the Soviet Red Army and the menace removed from the world! Of course, none of this US misrepresentation of China is true. The people of China enjoy a prosperity never before experienced in that country which is held together by a health system that is second to none in the world! As millions of people register for voluntary ‘organ donation’ – there is absolutely no reason for ‘organ harvesting’ – in a medical system that delivers top class treatment free at the point of use! By comparison, the Falun Gong Cult is a criminal organisation that has the US government financing and supporting its network of criminality – which involves kidnap, human trafficking, rape, murder, child sexual abuse, theft, fraud, torture, pornography and drug-dealing, etc. It is astonishing that a criminal organisation such as the Falun Gong Cult would be included on a British government website pertaining to support freedom of belief – whilst its extensive network of criminality (enhanced through the machinations of the ‘New Tang Dynasty’ TV Channel and the equally ‘fake’ Shen Yun Dance Troupe, etc,) – which is always seeking women and girls for sexual exploitation – would be completely ignored! Yes – Li Hongzhi lives in a US government ‘mansion’ situated in the leafy suburbs of New York which has a 24 hour police ‘guard’ around its parameter! This allows the young boys and girls he and his lieutenants prefer to sexually abuse – to be brought in and out of the complex free of media scrutiny and press exposure! As the world slowly emerges from 'lock-down' and the threat of Covid-19 reduces (despite being far from over), people start to get back to the normal patterns of everyday life! Last year, during 2021, the Communist Party of China celebrated one-hundred Years of existence! The CPC has existed for one-hundred years and has held power since 1949! As Buddhism fundamentally 'rejects' greed, hatred and delusion, and given that predatory capitalism is premised upon greed, hatred and delusion, it logically follows that genuine Buddhist philosophy - when not subject to distorting human ignorance - is obviously and inherently 'anti-capitalist'. Indeed, to adjust Buddhist thinking so that it 'supports' predatory capitalism, entire sections of the Dharma in ALL traditions would have to be removed so as to 'purge' all the teachings that describe in detail how to uproot greed, hatred and delusion! Of course, there has been the odd distortion away from the Buddhis Suttas (or 'Sutras') which emphasis 'greed' and 'material' accumulation instead of deepening penetrative insight and seeking to 'uproot' taints from the mind - but these are obvious aberrations often linked to everything that is bad within human nature and human endeavour! In other words, such perversions of the Dharma are easy to spot because they surround most of us much of the time! The primary distortion lies in the books shops all around us in the West - where smiling Buddhist monks attempt to 'sell' you peace of mind, or attribute all kinds of miraculous cures to 'mindfulness' - providing you can afford the fee! Bourgeois Buddhism is essentially Proletariat Buddhism kidnapped by the middle-classes and distorted to suit its own ogre-like image! May Day reminds us that we are all workers and that we are not only important - but through are collective labour - we build and sustain the modern world! London held the first May Day march in three-years yesterday - after the Covid-19 emergency! We must physically march holding the Red Flag of Freedom aloft - but we must also 'march' whilst 'looking within' so that we free ourselves from the greed, hatred and delusion that inspires and sustains the middle-classes! Onward - we have a world to win!
People’s Daily Reporter Liu Tao: (刘韬)
(Translated by Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD) One of the main contents of "The Pearl of Snow-China Tibetan Culture Week", has been the Buddhist monk exchange symposium held in Hong Kong this afternoon (16.7.2005). The theme of the symposium was "Buddhism and the Construction of a Harmonious Society". Living Buddhas (Tulkus) and Senior Monks from Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Hong Kong - together with Buddhist researchers - discussed the relationship between Buddhism and the construction of a harmonious (Socialist) society, as well as the interconnection and very good relations that typifies Sino-Tibetan Buddhism. Recognised experts expressed their opinions on various topics regarding the broad subject of how a harmonious society might be constructed. More than 100 people from all walks of life including Han and Tibetan Buddhists, Buddhist believers and students attended the symposium. The chairman of the Hong Kong Buddhist Federation, Venerable Kwok Kwong (觉光长), said in his speech that the Buddhist philosophy of compassion, equality for all beings, selflessness, altruism, and conscious awareness of others, is ideal for social harmony and world peace, as well as ensuring peace and harmony between people within society. Qinghai Provincial Committee of the CPPCC Vice Chairman Sina (西纳) Living Buddha (Tulku) believes that Tibetan Buddhism is a religion of peace which advocates harmony, seeking common ground while recognising differences, practicing inclusiveness, advocating harmony and praising peace. Tibetan Buddhism has always been committed to advocating equality, respecting compassion, purifying people's hearts, and opposing war. These core concepts and spiritual values of Tibetan Buddhism also reflect the requirements for building a harmonious society. In the process of building a harmonious socialist society, the harmonious concept in the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism should be brought into play, and the Tibetan Buddhist community should be organized and guided to build a harmonious society. Tibetan society makes its own contribution toward the building of (Socialist) society. Saichang Lubsang Huadan (赛仓·罗桑华丹) Living Buddha (Tulku), a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC in Gansu Province, said that Buddhism advocates compassion and self-improvement. To obtain psychological balance, and then to enhance the spiritual realm of people; to provide a "detoxification mechanism" for society, to maintain social stability and spiritual ecological balance. The Duoji Tashi (多吉扎西) Living Buddha (Tulku) from Ganzi Prefecture of Sichuan said that Buddhism is a people-oriented religion. To learn Buddhism, you must first learn to be a human being. To build a harmonious society is based primarily upon the establishment of a noble personality. You need to work hard to improve your personality and reduce selfishness. Buddhist psychology purifies words and deeds, and emphasises respect and care for others, whilst observance of social ethics of fairness and justice are consistent with its genuine practice. Everyone will abandon evil and all will do perform good actions – this will surely lead to social harmony and national tranquillity. Hong Kong’s Dharma Master Juezhen (觉真) believes that Buddhism is the belief of the entire people of Tibetans, Mongolians, Dais, and Tus. Strengthening the unity of various ethnic groups, enhancing social cohesion and building a harmonious society are not only the advantages of Buddhism, but also the common aspiration of Buddhists. Individual Buddhists and Buddhist organizations should serve society with the Buddha's compassionate spirit, devote themselves to charity and public welfare, care for disadvantaged groups, rescue the poor, help the poor, and play an important role in safeguarding the unity of the Socialist Motherland, strengthening national unity, and expanding friendly exchanges with foreign countries. Chinese Source Article: http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2005-07-16/21506452528s.shtml 佛教高僧座谈“佛教与构建和谐社会”(图) 人民网香港7月16日电记者刘韬摄影报道:“雪域明珠——中国西藏文化周”的主要内容之一,佛教高僧交流座谈会今天下午在香港举行。座谈会的主题为“佛教与构建和谐社会”,来自西藏、青海、甘肃、四川等地的活佛高僧与香港的佛教高僧、佛学研究者等,就佛教与构建和谐社会的关系,以及汉藏佛教如何为构建和谐社会做出贡献等话题发表了自己的意见。汉藏佛教界人士、佛教信众和学生等各界人士100多人出席了座谈会。 香港佛教联合会会长觉光长老在致词时说,佛教的慈悲思想,众生平等,主张自利利他、自觉觉他,就是为了社会和谐与世界和平,以及人与人之间的和合和睦。青海省政协副主席西纳活佛认为,藏传佛教是和平的宗教,主张以和为贵、求同存异、兼容并蓄、崇尚和谐、褒扬和平,始终致力于提倡平等、推崇慈悲、净化人心和反对战争。藏传佛教的这些核心理念和精神价值也体现了构建和谐社会的要求,在构建社会主义和谐社会的过程中,应发挥藏传佛教教义中的和谐理念,组织和引导藏传佛教界为构建和谐社会做出自己的贡献。 甘肃省政协常委赛仓·罗桑华丹活佛说,佛教主张慈悲为怀、自贵其心,这个基本主张在构建社会主义和谐社会的过程中,有着独特的作用:对个人可提供安身立命之处,以求得心理平衡,并进而提升人的精神境界;对社会则可提供一种“解毒机制”,维护社会安定和精神生态平衡。来自四川甘孜州的多吉扎西活佛说,佛教是以人为本的宗教,学佛首先要学习做人,而构建和谐社会,正是以高尚人格的建立为基础,需要努力提高自己的人格修养,减少自私自利的心理和言行,尊重、关心他人,遵守公平正义的社会公德,这与学佛修行是一致的。人人都诸恶莫作、众善奉行,必定会社会和谐、国家安宁。香港的觉真法师认为,佛教是藏族、蒙古族、傣族、土族等民族的全民信仰,加强各民族的团结、增强社会凝聚力和建设和谐社会,既是佛教的优势所在,也是佛教徒的共同心愿。佛教徒和佛教团体应以佛陀的慈悲精神服务社会,投身慈善公益事业,关怀弱势群体,救灾济困,助学扶贫,并在维护祖国统一,加强民族团结,扩大对外友好交往等方面发挥重要作用。 In and of itself, Marxist ideology is very difficult to understand without committed study, experience and dialectical debate. This is absolutely fine if an individual is lucky enough to be born into a Socialist State which possesses a progressive education system. If an individual lives in a Socialist State – then all the components exist within their educational environment that are required to facilitate this process. As no bourgeois ‘inversion’ exists, and given that there is no longer any capitalist corruption or exploitation, a young person is educated within an a priori ‘Marxist’ milieu where there is no contradiction or deliberate policy of ‘undermining’ this reality! So far, so good. However, if a person is born into a predatory capitalist society, then any attempt at securing a sound Marxist education is very much an experience of swimming against the current. As persecution is rife, it is very difficult to establish and secure a Marxist educational foothold within a capitalist society outside of relatively small and isolated ‘special interest’ groups (such as in the ‘free’ education classes offered by the various branches of the now disparate Communist Party). As we live in a predatory capitalist society, and given that we cannot readily access a Communist Party branch, what can be done to assist a Marxist education? Obviously, in this sense all Marxist education is ‘self-education’ due to the fact that mainstream education is dominated by the ideology of the ruling bourgeois class. Everything is pre-set to present Marxism in a thoroughly disjointed and despised ideology that is opposed to the well-being and aspirations of the working-class. The bourgeoisie is of the opinion that the only reality that benefits the working-class is that of continued oppression and subjugation to the bourgeoisie. Anyone honest worker who lives in this nightmare knows full well that this is a ‘lie’ from top to bottom – and that when they read the work of Marx and Engels – their minds and bodies feel ‘empowered’ and ‘strengthened’ regardless of personal circumstance – and this is just the effect of the written word presented within a non-inverted format. Therefore, a worker must read and study all things ‘Marxist’ (excluding Trotsky whose work represents the ‘inverted’ mind-set of the bourgeoisie). This process will probably ‘empower’ and ‘confuse’ in equal measure at the beginning of the process. Das Kapital, for instance, is often described as being so clever that it is difficult to grasp its full scope and impact – even after two or three readings! Of course, not all of the work of Marx is this specialist in presentation – and he wrote ‘The Manifesto of the Communist Party’ as a substantial and excellent foundation to his anti-capitalist thinking. My experience of Buddhis meditation has assisted me in preparing my mind for the work of Marx and Engels to ‘make sense’. As a child I had a terrible first-part to my education in the UK – barely being able to read and write until I was ten-years-old. The second part of my education was much better and I had to rush to catch-up once my ability to read and write was on a par with the other children. As I experienced a terrible start to my education, this made me realise just how important the ability to read and write actually is for the working-class! Without being ‘literate’ Marxism will remain an opaque subject. I have found that if I read a section of a Marxist text and then meditated for 30 minutes – any confusion or misunderstanding I originally had quite literally ‘falls away’ and the original meaning of what Marx intended shines through! I repeated this training policy for many years, particularly during my late teens and early twenties. Focusing my mind upon my breath, and putting into practice the various methods of the Chinese Ch’an School. By focusing the mind in upon itself – the obscuring ‘ignorance’ (which is like a bourgeois-derived self-limiting mechanism – a form of inner oppression) is ‘dissolved’ through precise and exact concentration. This allows the non-inverted basis of my true-mind to ‘unite’ with the non-inverted true-mind that Marx is writing from. Where I needed to break the inner obscuration within my mind through Buddhist meditation (imported from my capitalist environment) - whereas Marx and Engels already possessed this frequency of mind through natural evolution. As for myself, I had to use Buddhist meditation to reach the same frequency of reality. Once my surface mind was cleared of its habitual obscuration, my understanding capacity increased dramatically, as did my intellectual ability to engage with new texts and comprehend the meaning correctly and exactly on the first reading. My view is that Buddhist meditation, as it uproots greed, hatred and delusion, is quite naturally ‘anti-capitalist’ in nature, is nothing other than an early version of ‘Marxism’ suitable for the historical epoch within which it manifested.
Although I do not believe in the literal reality of any religious teaching – my academic speciality is that of ‘religious thought’ and ‘religious practice’. This follows on in the Soviet tradition and the current situation in Mainland China. As various ethnic groups are required to be ‘integrated’ into the Socialist System, an expert knowledge of religious knowledge at the political level is required to implement this transition. A Socialist or Communist academic living in a Marxist-Leninist State, must be free of any religious ideology in the primitive sense, and be able to objectively study, understand and predict the behaviour of those who ‘literally’ believe in religious mythology. Such an academic is an advanced dialectical human-being who understands Marxist-Leninism (and its variants) exactly, and is no longer inhabiting the ‘inverted’ mind-sets that propagated religious ideology in the first place! The rational human mind must be brought into play to clear the ‘fog of religion’ as Lenin called it – whilst still understanding why religious groupings think and act as they do. This understanding is crucial to predict problems before they start, and to guide the religious communities into thoughts and behaviours more complicit with life in a progressive, Socialist society! Religion is transitioned into a ‘private’ affair for the masses, and is removed’ from the ‘public’ space. Religion is moved from all positions of political power and business interference! As religion was originally a vehicle for personal salvation in an indifferent world – these changes must be explained to the religious groupings in a manner that they understand without conflict or resistance! This is not always an easy task, but it is an essential task. Religion, like philosophy, can be fully understood by the secular and atheistic mind. Once it is understood, it can be guided and moulded so that it benefits from being within a Socialist States, and yet does not interfere in the political process. Furthermore, as the ‘classroom’ is separated from the ‘Church’ - religious leaders must be taught to understand the ‘new’ rights that his community now possess. Conservativism is now no longer required or allowed, and so a religious leader must take responsibility in guaranteeing that his community is able to register for welfare, housing, medical employment and education opportunities – offered either free of charge or highly subsidised by the Socialist State! All religions must now support the Socialist System and have no relationship with the bourgeois community or reactionaries of any kind. Should a religious leader enquire ‘how’ he or she is supposed to present these requirements to his or her community – a Political Commissar tasked with integrating religious groupings into the Socialist System must be ready with a profound and relevant answer that can be clearly explained and put into action!
As a political commissar, one of my main tasks is to assist existing religious practitioners and institutes to ‘align’ their ideology with that of Marxist-Leninism. This is not a ‘choice’ but rather a ‘necessity’. The reality is that millions of people follow a religion of some type, and given that religion is not ‘out-lawed’ in a Socialist Society – but rather ‘guaranteed’ - it is important that the two ideologies understand one another and know how to constructively interact. This process is already far advanced within the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and North Korea (DPRK), etc, but is still not understood as a concept amongst many areas of Western Marxist thinking. One thing is certain – Marxist-Leninism does not ‘out-law’ or ‘oppress’’ religion in any way, but rather shifts the place within society within which religions operate. Religion is moved from the ‘public’ to the ‘private sphere for its own protection and security. Religious institutions are shifted out of the political arena and will play no further role in that direction (as the Communist Party develops society through the use of modern science). As religion was founded around the principle of finding existential ‘freedom’ within (or outside of) society, it has no place interfering in the political process. As such, by relocating it into the ‘private’ sphere it may reassert its speciality of providing a vehicle for individual ‘freedom’ from whatever issue or reality it deems responsible for human suffering. In reality, this places religion in a much stronger traditional setting and encourages freedom of worship and tolerance of difference. As no single religion is permitted to ‘dominate’ society (or any other religion), existing in the ‘private’ sphere is a new position of ‘empowerment’ for the religiously minded. As Western religions are in bed with the forces of predatory capitalism, these people resent any attempt at interfering with the positioning of religion within society. From this profit-seeking perspective, moving religion from the ‘public’ to the ‘private’ sphere is deliberately interpreted as ‘oppressive’ - because these people equate ‘religion’ with material ‘profit-seeking’ here on Earth! None of this matters, of course, but Marxist-Leninists must be aware of the process of administering religion within a Socialist society.
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AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles PhD - Political Commissar and BMA (UK) Historian & Researcher. Archives
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