Humanism, atheism: principles and practice
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| Humanism, atheism: principles and practice |
Excerpt from the book's introduction
For a long time the discussion of Marxist humanism and atheism, their meaning and character was in the West reduced to bare condemnation.
The situation has changed, as it was bound to, and a new method, a dialogue between atheists and believers, has become part of life. The desire to perceive the meaning of Marxist atheism is now displayed even by theists—sociologists, politicians, religious leaders, who work in the midst of the masses.
Above all, this refers to those who cherish social peace, justice, and national equality as do the working people, those who fight for these principles regardless of their attitude to religion. The book Links Katholizismus Line Katholische Initiative in Moskau was published in Vienna in September 1965.
It was written by Dr Wilfrid Daim, a Left Catholic, one of the ideologists who not only study the possibility of dialogue between Christians, atheists and those indifferent to religion but also work to implement it, realizing that it is a means of attaining objectives that are common to all people of goodwill—universal peace.
Dr. Daim is quite right when he states that “contact between Communists and Catholics is essential, for it is much easier to talk if you know the other side’s pat¬ tern of thinking.”
Dr. Daim tells about the impressions of his visit to the Soviet Union and reflects on atheism in the USSR. He comes to a number of rash conclusions (which is quite natural for a person making such a short visit s which are often unconfirmed and sometimes even biased.
Dr. Daim tells about the impressions of his visit to the Soviet Union and reflects on atheism in the USSR. He comes to a number of rash conclusions (which is quite natural for a person making such a short visit s which are often unconfirmed and sometimes even biased.
However, both the visit and the book are actually an initiative, an attempt to understand social relations in the Soviet Union, the ethical principles underlying people’s relations and the relations between Church and State there.
Reading form humanism chapter
The experience of the working people’s daily struggle for their vital social demands convinces them that unity is a basic condition for success in this struggle—unity of Communists, Social-Democrats, Christian trade unionists, beievers and atheists.
In European countries, for instance, this unity of action emerged during the Resistance and is now developing further. It is for good reason that so many lances are broken over the problem of unity. The reactionary churchmen do their best to distort the communist stand on questions of cooperation and unity of the different sections of the working population. Elements of the cold war policy are employed along with crude or some¬ times subtle demagogy.
Attempts are made to replace real cooperation by a campaign in¬ tended to frustrate it and discredit the principles which guide Communists in their work. Of late some churchmen have intensified their efforts to halt the establishment of cooperation between working people—believers and Communists.
Their main and far from new instrument is the division of working people according to their attitude to religion. As a matter of fact, it is such attempts that make it possible to see the religious leaders’ true position in social questions, and realize that their hopes are pinned on the reactionary forces in society and on the bourgeois institutions.
Reactionary churchmen seek to involve the working people who favour radical changes in social conditions on earth in arguments on heavenly paradise, the problems of body and soul, earth and heaven. Present-day religious theoreticians and so
Publisher : Novosti Press Agency Publishing House
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