I've become convinced that communism is a form of religion. This is a large subject and I will only write a small part of it now.
Let's look at the similarities, and how communists differ with normal people:
1. Communists worship the deities Marx, Lenin, Castro, Guevara, Mao Zedong, and occassionally Kim Jong-Il and Saparmurat Niyazov.
a. Communists have to rationalize the atrocities committed by communists of the past. This is a form of leap of faith. It's very similar to Scientologists, actually. Something you believe in has a strong negative, so you have you rationalize that what you believe in is pure and the negatives are lies. Either that, or the negatives are grossly overshadowed by the positives.
b. Remember that thread about thatidiot guy from soviet-empire.com who said he loves Kim Jong-Il like a father? He went on and on about all the great and wonderful things that Kim Jong-Il has done. Adoration.
c. The communist deities are nigh perfect. How often do communists state the negatives about their deities? In the former Soviet Union, there were labs that were examining the brains of long dead communist leaders, trying to examine how the leaders were so much better than ordinary people.
d. Communists like to have pictures of their deities. How often do normal people have pictures of the politicians they revere? I've never seen anyone or heard of anyone with giant pictures of Ronald Reagan, or Franklin Roosevelt, or Winston Churchill, yet I have indeed heard of people having giant images of Lenin.
2. Communists sometimes proselytize.
3. Communists brainwash people into believing their faith is right.
4. Communism is a failure, yet communists cling to it. This is analogous to religious people sticking with 6 day creationism even though it is obviously not true. A leap of faith.
5. Communists in communist nations and former communist nations have massacred the nonbelievers. This is clearly analogous to modern day Saudi Arabia, in which it is illegal to not be a Muslim, and the Christian governments of centuries ago.
6. Communism is not only an economic system, but a social system as well. (Communists who say it isn't are lying to you.) What does that mean? It means communism has a set of mores and conduct, like a religion!
7. Communists believe violence is reasonable means to achieve their goals. This is clearly similar to violent Muslims today and Christians of centuries ago. Well, to be fair, this is true for a wide range of people.
8. Communists like to make art and music concerning their religion. (Propaganda art and propaganda music.) How often do you see capitalists make art and slogans, or songs singing the praises of capitalists? I've seen it maybe, um, ZERO times.
9. Communists that worship Stalin and Lenin have a Satan: Trotsky.
Ways that communism differs from religion:
1. They don't collect donations actively.
The only thing I can think of that die-hard capitalists worship in a similar manner is Ronald Reagan. Fox "News" and Sean Hannity can't shut up about him. The way they speak of him is clear adoration, in a similar manner to thatidiot guy from soviet-empire.com.
Other preternatural people that people highly revere are the Founding Fathers of the US, but that has nothing to do with capitalism.
Expected responses from communist CFCers: "You don't know what you're talking about." Who else says that? Religious people!
EDIT: Recommended by other users (thanks!):
10. The end reward for being a good communist is a perfect paradise where there is no government.
11. Communists fight for the monopoly of thought; that is why religions are prosecuted in communist countries. It can only be one true religion, communism.
Let's look at the similarities, and how communists differ with normal people:
1. Communists worship the deities Marx, Lenin, Castro, Guevara, Mao Zedong, and occassionally Kim Jong-Il and Saparmurat Niyazov.
a. Communists have to rationalize the atrocities committed by communists of the past. This is a form of leap of faith. It's very similar to Scientologists, actually. Something you believe in has a strong negative, so you have you rationalize that what you believe in is pure and the negatives are lies. Either that, or the negatives are grossly overshadowed by the positives.
b. Remember that thread about that
c. The communist deities are nigh perfect. How often do communists state the negatives about their deities? In the former Soviet Union, there were labs that were examining the brains of long dead communist leaders, trying to examine how the leaders were so much better than ordinary people.
d. Communists like to have pictures of their deities. How often do normal people have pictures of the politicians they revere? I've never seen anyone or heard of anyone with giant pictures of Ronald Reagan, or Franklin Roosevelt, or Winston Churchill, yet I have indeed heard of people having giant images of Lenin.
2. Communists sometimes proselytize.
3. Communists brainwash people into believing their faith is right.
4. Communism is a failure, yet communists cling to it. This is analogous to religious people sticking with 6 day creationism even though it is obviously not true. A leap of faith.
5. Communists in communist nations and former communist nations have massacred the nonbelievers. This is clearly analogous to modern day Saudi Arabia, in which it is illegal to not be a Muslim, and the Christian governments of centuries ago.
6. Communism is not only an economic system, but a social system as well. (Communists who say it isn't are lying to you.) What does that mean? It means communism has a set of mores and conduct, like a religion!
7. Communists believe violence is reasonable means to achieve their goals. This is clearly similar to violent Muslims today and Christians of centuries ago. Well, to be fair, this is true for a wide range of people.
8. Communists like to make art and music concerning their religion. (Propaganda art and propaganda music.) How often do you see capitalists make art and slogans, or songs singing the praises of capitalists? I've seen it maybe, um, ZERO times.
9. Communists that worship Stalin and Lenin have a Satan: Trotsky.
Ways that communism differs from religion:
1. They don't collect donations actively.
The only thing I can think of that die-hard capitalists worship in a similar manner is Ronald Reagan. Fox "News" and Sean Hannity can't shut up about him. The way they speak of him is clear adoration, in a similar manner to that
Other preternatural people that people highly revere are the Founding Fathers of the US, but that has nothing to do with capitalism.
Expected responses from communist CFCers: "You don't know what you're talking about." Who else says that? Religious people!
EDIT: Recommended by other users (thanks!):
10. The end reward for being a good communist is a perfect paradise where there is no government.
11. Communists fight for the monopoly of thought; that is why religions are prosecuted in communist countries. It can only be one true religion, communism.
