How the East Was Won: Keeping the Faith

It is a principle of Marxist faith that with the progress of Communism religion will wither away. Because in practice this process moved much more slowly than predicted, Communist governments tried to speed it up by various means at their disposal, among which gentle persuasion was the least popular one. Yet it seems that no matter what method they apply, religious convictions are extremely difficult to eradicate. Even in Albania, where Enver Hoxha closed all houses of worship and imprisoned or killed all clergymen, there are strong indications that believers —both Christian and Moslem—have kept their faith alive.

In some Communist-dominated countries—for example, in Poland— believers were able to worship the Lord openly. In other instances they were forced into the underground church, thus risking persecution or worse. In either case they were part of a vast network which provided spiritual guidance, personal contacts, and information mostly unavailable from other sources.

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Olga S. Hruby

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It is a principle of Marxist faith that with the progress of Communism religion will wither away. Because in practice this process moved much more slowly than predicted, Communist governments tried to speed it up by various means at their disposal, among which gentle persuasion was the least popular one. Yet it seems that no matter what method they apply, religious convictions are extremely difficult to eradicate. Even in Albania, where Enver Hoxha closed all houses of worship and imprisoned or killed all clergymen, there are strong indications that believers —both Christian and Moslem—have kept their faith alive.

In some Communist-dominated countries—for example, in Poland— believers were able to worship the Lord openly. In other instances they were forced into the underground church, thus risking persecution or worse. In either case they were part of a vast network which provided spiritual guidance, personal contacts, and information mostly unavailable from other sources.