The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-27
BLASTS
FAKE ISSUES
OF RELIGION
Explains Attitude Of
Workers Republic

Continued from Page One)
decreased considerably. This is due
to various social and economic and
political reasons.
Enforce Workers Laws.
zone of the reasons is that we
have prohibited religious propa-
ganda in our educational and cul-
tural institutions and we strictly
punish violators of this law" he
said. "The separation of church and
state is being enforced fully and
radically and to the limit.
81 might mention here that we
are merely carrying out with merci-
less thoroughness the programs of
radical parties in the bourgeois
countries"
One of the questions referred to
the Soviet constitutional guarantee
of religious freedom on which point
Rykov said:
eve give complete freedom of all
beliefs, religious as we'll as anti-re-
ligious. We do not persecute or
punish any one who believes or tries
to prove that Eve was made from
Adams rib or who defends the IN
maculate conception. I would take
immediate measures to punish any
Judge sentencing persons on the
basis of their belief that the world
was created in seven days.
Advocate Science.
"On the other hand, we do not
prohibit defense of the theory of
mans evolution from the monkey.
Science and scientific knowledge
have made great progress in our
contemporary life.
"This leads to a decrease in the
number of churches and decline
in religious feeling. 1t is only nat
ural process.
"There are other countries where
the clergy do not enjoy civil rights
because the church has played too
powerful a role and interferred too
much in political life," re replied.
Priests Are Parasites.
eve have deprived the former
governing classes of their civil
rights. Suffrage is given only to
those engaged in productive work.
"The priesthood cannot be re-
garded as a productive occupation.
However, we never punish the priests
for legitimate practice of their
profession, only for violation of law
or counter-revolutionary activities.
eve do not even prosecute the
priests for fraud when we discover
the bones of horses or dogs in cof-
fins which they led the worshippers
to believe contained dummies of the
saints. We give all such the bene-
fit of the doubt, as they themselves
may have been deluded by their
predecessors"
In reply to a question as to his
opinion of the foreign complaints
and agitation against the Soviet's
regulation of religion, Rykov said:
No Discrimination of Sects.
"The complaints come from those
who stand for destruction of all re-
ligious cults except their own. In
this connection 1 might mention the
history of the Papacy.
eve have given full freedom to
competition and it must be peculiar
ly disconcerting to the Pope to learn
that the Mohammedan mullar
(priest) enjoys the same rights here
as the Catholic priest to defend his
faith.
"The religious question in the
present situation is being used mere
ly as tool for political purposes.
One Of the characteristics of political
strife in foreign countries as we
have observed it is that all ways and
means are employed.
"All this agitation and propaganda
is emanating from circles which
would never grant full freedom of
conscience.
"What the people outside do not
understand is that we are making an
effort to organize a new culture and
a new social order.
"We permit practice of any kind
of faith, but we do not support re-
ligious prejudice.
"We strive, however, to encourage
the spread of scientific knowledge
and thus enlighten the people,