For several thousand years of history, religion has always played a dominant role in almost any country. Before monotheism, there was paganism, when they worshiped entire divine pantheons, then they were replaced by Buddha, Yahweh, God. The Church has always tried to interact with the government, gathering believers under its banner to unite them.
Even in this enlightened age, one cannot fail to recognize that religion is still of great importance, although it does not reach the heights that it was centuries ago. Even now, in the typology of states by criteria, his attitude to religion is often used. One of the most prominent types is often referred to as an atheistic state.
History of Atheism
Atheism - complete godlessness - was largely the result of constant ideological conflicts between various religious associations. For a long time, the clergy not only left their dogmas at the theoretical level, but also persecuted dissidents. Perhaps the most famous example of such persecution dates back to the time of the Inquisition, when priests burnedwitches.
However, gradually, science began to prevail over the church, which wanted to keep knowledge locked up, rather than spread it. The dark times are over. There are various theories that have been confirmed. Darwin, Copernicus and many others thought very freely, so freethinking gradually began to develop.
Now in the modern West, interest in religion is falling very strongly, this is especially evident throughout the 20th century in the layers of intellectuals. Perhaps this led to the fact that atheistic states began to appear. Now it is not customary to visit churches every Sunday, to constantly pray in the hope of receiving divine forgiveness, to confess. Increasingly, people identify themselves as atheists or agnostics.
Concept
The atheistic state absolutely does not recognize any religions within its borders, therefore, the state authorities necessarily persecute confessions or simply prohibit them. All atheistic propaganda comes directly from the government structure, so a priori the church cannot have any influence, as well as its own property.
Even believers are under threat of repression. An atheistic state has such an antagonistic regime towards religion that any religion automatically becomes a cause of persecution.
Key Features
The main features of an atheistic state include:
- Huntingabsolutely any religious authority by the state itself.
- Any property is completely alienated from the church, so it has no rights even to economic fundamentals.
- Religion in the country is totally controlled or completely banned.
- Constant repression against not only religious ministers, but also ordinary believers.
- Religious associations are stripped of all legal rights, so they are unable to enter into transactions or other legally significant actions.
- It is forbidden to conduct religious activities: ceremonies, rituals in any public places.
- Free propaganda of atheism as the only version of freedom of conscience.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
In the USSR and other countries belonging to the category of socialist, for the first time the foundations of a country without religion were put into practice. After the October Revolution took place, which overthrew the imperial power and revised the Russian Empire itself, the Bolsheviks who came to power at the legislative level made Russia an atheistic state. Article 127 of the first Constitution clearly enshrined the right to propagate atheism, so mass atheism became the norm for its inhabitants.
"Religion is the opium of the people," said Karl Marx. It was this ideology that the main leaders, Stalin and Lenin, tried on the country, so for the next decades the USSR lived under this slogan. Universities held a special course on "Fundamentals of Scientific Atheism", and there were constant repressions againsttowards believers, temples were destroyed. In 1925, a special society, the Union of Militant Atheists, was even created.
The first atheistic state
Despite the fact that the USSR pursued a policy of mass atheism, the first state considered completely atheistic, that is, completely denying any practice of religion, is considered to be the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. It was here that a similar decision was made during the reign of Enver Khalil Hoxha in 1976, so the country began to fully comply with all theoretical principles.
Current situation
At the current stage of development of the Russian Federation, it can no longer be considered an atheistic state, since it more closely matches the signs of a secular one. Now an increasing number of senior officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, have begun to lean toward Orthodoxy. It cannot be said whether they are doing this only for PR or have begun to sincerely believe, however, it cannot be denied that the vast majority of citizens belong to one church or another.
At present, Vietnam and the DPRK can be included among the atheistic states. China is also often included in this list. In practice, in fact, atheism prevails even in Sweden, but this is not registered at the legislative level.
Although now many people consider themselves to be atheists, the states themselves on such an ideology are extremely rare, since it is customary to practice religious freedom.
