I mean, you provide little context on what you mean here. However, Marx was pretty clear that the abolition of religion will come from the abolition of the conditions that create religion. Since religion is simply a reflection of the conditions of life under capitalism, or more accurately, a reflection of life where material needs are not fully met.
Abolishing religion through “eradication” would undoubtedly create a whole cast of reactionary forces within the masses who simply reject the idea of being secularized in that way. Moreover, there is some evidence that official state atheism in the USSR failed to do what was intended. You cannot cast religion out of the minds of the masses by force. You have to remove the conditions under which the masses seek religion as a form of comfort and direction in what otherwise appears to be a heartless world. Religion across many capitalist countries has seen a sharp decline since the onset of the industrial revolution. However, countries with high fertility rates and lower levels of human development tend to be more religious. One could argue that the conditions of capitalism accelerate secularization and religiosity on imperial boundaries. In the imperial countries, secularization seems to continue at pace, while in the exploited countries, religion is still very much a part of everyday life. The USA, for example, has seen a large drop-off in those saying that “religion is an important part of their daily life”. It is not surprising to me that most of the countries on the left hand side of this scatter plot graph are either countries with a history of strong social democracies or are explicitly communist in nature, or former members of the USSR. It’s also not surprising to me that many countries on the right hand side of the map are countries heavily exploited by imperialist nations.
People should be provided for in all realms of life. They should be provided meaningful work, food, shelter, medical care, child care, and more. They should be free to practice religion, and religious institutions should be free to operate so long as they are not acting in a counter-revolutionary way. Over time, people will find that religion isn’t offering them anything they need, since the needs of life are already being provided. I think Xinjiang is a prime example of what I mean here. The radical sects of that region were created by A) being propped up by western imperialist nations and B) the conditions under which people in that region lived. The way the CPC addressed this was through their material conditions, through education and economic stimulation. They didn’t address it through supressing their religion or religious rights.
I mean, you provide little context on what you mean here. However, Marx was pretty clear that the abolition of religion will come from the abolition of the conditions that create religion. Since religion is simply a reflection of the conditions of life under capitalism, or more accurately, a reflection of life where material needs are not fully met.
Abolishing religion through “eradication” would undoubtedly create a whole cast of reactionary forces within the masses who simply reject the idea of being secularized in that way. Moreover, there is some evidence that official state atheism in the USSR failed to do what was intended. You cannot cast religion out of the minds of the masses by force. You have to remove the conditions under which the masses seek religion as a form of comfort and direction in what otherwise appears to be a heartless world. Religion across many capitalist countries has seen a sharp decline since the onset of the industrial revolution. However, countries with high fertility rates and lower levels of human development tend to be more religious. One could argue that the conditions of capitalism accelerate secularization and religiosity on imperial boundaries. In the imperial countries, secularization seems to continue at pace, while in the exploited countries, religion is still very much a part of everyday life. The USA, for example, has seen a large drop-off in those saying that “religion is an important part of their daily life”. It is not surprising to me that most of the countries on the left hand side of this scatter plot graph are either countries with a history of strong social democracies or are explicitly communist in nature, or former members of the USSR. It’s also not surprising to me that many countries on the right hand side of the map are countries heavily exploited by imperialist nations.
People should be provided for in all realms of life. They should be provided meaningful work, food, shelter, medical care, child care, and more. They should be free to practice religion, and religious institutions should be free to operate so long as they are not acting in a counter-revolutionary way. Over time, people will find that religion isn’t offering them anything they need, since the needs of life are already being provided. I think Xinjiang is a prime example of what I mean here. The radical sects of that region were created by A) being propped up by western imperialist nations and B) the conditions under which people in that region lived. The way the CPC addressed this was through their material conditions, through education and economic stimulation. They didn’t address it through supressing their religion or religious rights.