Quote:Sorry, but could you be a bit more specific. Russell was rather prolific and I don't know which of his arguments you're referring to (although, apparently, Jester does).The argument that Communism is essentially a religion - and a particularly nasty one at that.
The shortest relevant summary, from his brief essay "What is an Agnostic?"
Quote:Communism like agnosticism opposes religion, are agnostics Communists?Communism might not be a religion in the theological sense, but it certainly seems to be one in the functional sense, down to the nuts and bolts. It even has the handy introductory text that everyone reads (Communist Manifesto, as compared to the Gospels, or maybe just Matthew), the heavy dogmatic tome that nobody reads (Das Capital, as compared with the Old Testament), not to mention endless reams of commentary and interpretation (as opposed to actual criticism) by acolytes.
Communism does not oppose religion. It merely opposes the Christian religion, just as Mohammedanism does. Communism, at least in the form advocated by the Soviet Government and the Communist Party, is a new system of dogma of a peculiarly virulent and persecuting sort. Every genuine Agnostic must therefore be opposed to it.
An earlier, though much more detailed analysis is found in The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism.
-Jester