Britons buck trend by believing in paranormal MORE over time

[TPD]

Not attending church or practising religion actively doesn't exactly mean you're atheist. Lots of people have some kind of belief but don't present it by participating in church-related activities. Then again, I guess it also depends on the definition of atheism and whether it's just the pure rejection of the idea of a higher power or an absence of religiousness. But I am sure that the number of self-proclaimed atheists is much lower and putting the number of "atheists" as high as 2/3 in a country that has had quite a tradition seemed a bit too much.

I don't think atheism was propagated or supported in schools or generally in educational institutions. It was mainly the fact of prohibition of religion and the almost genocidal war against religious supporters that probably and mainly enforced atheism in the USSR. The socialists couldn't have gone so irrational as to promote official atheism because that's basically unnecessary when you hunt down anyone who is religious. But I know few facts about the atheist doctrine in the USSR, I am sure the indigenous can enlighten the case more satisfactorily.

I think it was more something like this even though I don't know how much damage it did in Russia. In Slovakia the commies did not manage to stomp out religion. If they had banned church attendance in the peasant circles, they'd have faced upheavals and everybody is sure they wouldn't have lasted a minute. So within the common folk it was sort of "tolerated" if they closed both eyes. If you were in the party or a direct "employee of the state" and responsible for brainwashing people (e.g. teachers) your family was not permitted to practise any religion. Otherwise you'd end up being either a milkmaid or digging canalisations, IF you were lucky.

[jethro]

Not attending church or practising religion actively doesn't exactly mean you're atheist. Lots of people have some kind of belief but don't present it by participating in church-related activities. Then again, I guess it also depends on the definition of atheism and whether it's just the pure rejection of the idea of a higher power or an absence of religiousness. But I am sure that the number of self-proclaimed atheists is much lower and putting the number of "atheists" as high as 2/3 in a country that has had quite a tradition seemed a bit too much.

If you never, ever attend church services (not even Christmas services) nor have any kind of discernible religious beliefs I would term you an atheist. You could conceivably be a deist, but in my book the differences between atheists and deists are pretty minuscule except at a high-class philosophical level. I have never understood why to be an atheist you have to actively "reject" a higher power, I do all the time because I am virulently anti-religion but that's just me, if your actions indicate that you live your life according to the principle that there is no God, than I think that qualifies you as an atheist more than one who simply self-identifies as one. Similarly, one who claims to be an atheist but holds silent vigil every day at sunrise to prevent bad occurrences I would term a theist. As I also said before, if you wind the clock back just a few years you have 70% of the same country proclaiming themselves atheist. This doesn't mean they were all honest, but I think it casts doubt over whether or not the current religious portrayals of Russia are accurate. I also have a beef with many of the current methods of religious polling because most don't have an "Atheist" option, or even a "Secularist/Non-Religious" option, usually the only way to go that route is to circle in "Other" and write in "Atheist". If I were given one of those tests I'd probably end up classifying myself as a Russian Orthodox for lack of a better option.

Otherwise you'd end up being either a milkmaid or digging canalisations, IF you were lucky.

What other use would you have for believers of The Great Sky-Fairy? The greatest mistake of the Soviet Union (apart from its stubborn refusal to modernize its command economy system to cope with the needs of an emerging information/service-based global market) was that it moderated on religion enough to let that cancer eke through into the modern day. Quite honestly, if you believe in your "God" enough to go to the camps for him, and your "God" is so merciful as to let you suffer like that, than I have no problems at all with you being put to work for the good of the nation until your harebrained ideas die with you.

[GreekIdiot]

If you never, ever attend church services (not even Christmas services) nor have any kind of discernible religious beliefs I would term you an atheist. This doesn't mean they were all honest, but I think it casts doubt over whether or not the current religious portrayals of Russia are accurate.

Of course, in a secularist totalitarian nation, saying that you are indeed an atheist, would probably turn out good for you in the long term. It really makes sense to lie to save your ugly mug.

Also, I always thought being an atheist means that you do not believe in a higher power or generally you don't need some concept like that and therefore you reject all religious doctrines and accept the natural state of things, no coincidences or faith or anything, just mere action and result.

Quite honestly, if you believe in your "God" enough to go to the camps for him, and your "God" is so merciful as to let you suffer like that, than I have no problems at all with you being put to work for the good of the nation until your harebrained ideas die with you.

Now that's an idea I never fully understood when it comes to religious people. But I guess going to "heaven" balances all the misgivings and troubles that you will be put through in the camps.

[TPD]

Obviously not all religious people are fanatics. Duh.

[GreekIdiot]

I've learned by experience that a religious person is always dogmatic. A truly faithful person does not necessarily have to be a religious one in nature and beliefs. Here in Greece at least, where state and church are basically the same corrupted sewer, that's what I have observed.

[JuliaAJA]

I'm a deist Hin-Jew and never go to synagogue.

[Molotov]

edit: This is a real edit

[JuliaAJA]

Russians aren't people, for fuck's sake. Russians don't think for themselves. They are, at best, mindless automatons, and at worst robots who think they know stuff. Like you sir. Keep to your own, pray to your Little Father or Stalin or whoever, but stay away from the rest of us. We've got four hundred years on you, Jethro, even the Americans.

edit: Why does Jethro have to come back Sanctimonious, arsehole, half-American half-Russian shit. Self-righteous, stubborn and stupid. Move to Britain, Jethro. Or, God forgive me, France. You might grow up. Salud tosser.

edit2: I really, really don't like you. I've read what you've written, month upon month, and I've tried. I thought 'It's alright, Joe, he's foreign and they think differently in foreign parts.' I've concluded that you're dim, dimmer than my cousin who likes the theatre, but worse: you're a tosser, born.

The forum says those aren't edits and edit2 is still directed at Jethro, right?

[AngryMollusc]

*Breathalyses Molotov's post*

[Sam]

Fake edits = fail. He's either drunk or posting late at night (i.e. drunk).