Quote Originally Posted by Pindar
I am equating the U.S.S.R. as an oppressive/dysfunctional state that came from the Western tradition of separating the church from the state. Bolshevism is a product of the Western Tradition. It assumed political power in Russia. It separated the church from the state: excised it in fact. The subsequent U.S.S.R. was oppressive and dysfunctional.
Communism is a totalitarian regime, pure and simple. The reasons for persecuting religion are two-fold. One, religion can mobilise people and has influence on them. Two, Marx's claims that religion is the opium of the masses.

While it may have origins in the West's tradition of seperating state from religion, it is in no way an example of, or connected with it.

And communism was seen as a religion by the higher-ups. Replace religion with communist propapaganda, Marx's teachings and such. You'd be surprised how much indoctrination went on in Communist countries (I believe still does, but the few remaining are weird).

Yes, communism seperated church from state, but for entirely different reasons, religion (church) was a threat, a large one, therefore, it had to be neutralised.

Are you advocating the merging of church and state? That a religion followed by some of the population dictate lives for everyone?