11-11-2009, 09:55 PM
Quote:To entirely different systems, but I think it is not correct, fair and useful to call communism a religion. Instead of talking about some supernatural being, and preaching behaviour that supposedly pleases this supernatural being is something else than an ideology that, although difficult to realize, might be a way of ensuring the survival of our species. (might, because there is no certainty there:) )None of Confucianism, Buddhism nor Daoism postulates a "supernatural being" as the core of their religion. Yet, they are still religions. Why? Well, I'm pretty much a functionalist, so I ask whether it walks like a religion and quacks like a religion. But even if we don't adopt that perspective, they each have a "process" that is granted overriding allegiance - the worship of ancestors, the path to enlightenment, or the Way. Similarly, Marxism postulates a "supernatural" process of history (dialectical materialism) which dictates the correct course of action for all actors, as well as representing an inevitable outcome. That sounds pretty religious to me.
As for ensuring the survival of the species, I think the verdict is more or less in on that one. For all the environmental excesses of American capitalism, they're practically Greenpeace compared with Russian Communism, a system that ravaged the environment with almost absurd ferocity for its entire existence. I think, were I placing bets on the salvation of humanity, that the smart money is definitely not on Communism.
-Jester