Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02
War for Soul of Russia !


religion.
Although continuing its struggle for
life against great odds, the Greek Ortho-
dox Catholic Church of Russia refused
TO join the sects of the rest of the world
IN prayers and protests against Com
munist aggressions. One of two reasons
prevented them. Either the church
feared mourning further Soviet wrath or
1t was reluctant to offend the great mass
OF faithful sdherents who, because of
Soviet education, regard any suggestion
OF interest from foreigners as q mani
festation Of capitalist aggression In their
land.
Goddess Campaign Begun.
On the day before the New York
churches pray for Russia's salvation, the
League of the Goddess. communism s
most powerful atheistic society, will
spring into action, beginning a five-year
campaign of propaganda and defama-
ton. Prom the sacred precincts of Mos
cows largest synagogue, which has been
turned over to 1t as headquarters
1t will direct q program of sacrilege
having for its aim and slogan, "A Cod
less Moscow and Goddess Collectivized
Village by 1885 The Red theater. liter
allure, newspapers and motion pictures
are being modified to carry on the
cause. A profane play. "Baptize Rus
q, "
Easter, which this year falls upon the
fifth anniversary of the leagues incep-
ton, there will be ceremonies marked
by the presentation to the state of TO-
900 new converts to GodleSSnesS. And
there will be revolving parades and
blasphemous demonstrations in the ma
ture of those staged last Christmas,
when huge tree, hung with hideous
efngies Of European statesmen. was set
Up and burned; and great heaps of
sacred ikons painted by favorite artists
of the old church were ignited and
blazed in q holy bonfire to light the
fanatical orgies of materialism.
Despite these demonstrations. this
Easter will find the rank and file of
those who remain faithful to their
creeds buying flowers and willows for
the shrines of the saints, and offering
rubles earned in Red mills and farms on
the affairs of their ancient faith. The
devout worshiper notes little change in
the ritual, other than an absence OF q
prayer for the Gar, but 1t Is a church
vastly different from the old one which
administers to his spiritual needs.
For the Soviets have carried their re-
lentless campaign far. Behind the un-
changed ceremony the churchgoer hears
its chaos. Schisms, provoked by willy
Soviet diplomacy, have wrecked the
unity of the great Orthodox Church's
once said, autocratic administration:
fanatical anti-religious propaganda has
cut In half membership that was In
old Russia, almost universal; and the
whole complexion Of the church's status
In the land has been altered by far
reaching DEGREES. Although all churches
are equal under the Russian Law today,
these statutes initiate most strongly
against the Greek Orthodox Church,
and therefore against religions chief
stronghold in the land. as it embraced
81 per cent Of the population Of Czarist
Russia.
Patriarchs who once thundered power
full edicts in the councils of the Gear
now must beg the government for trivial
favors. For the first Soviet regulation
Of religion declared the state and the
church to be separate and unrelated
entities. This ripping Of the church
from the state was a stunning blow to
the holy order that for over thousand
years had been an integral part of the
autocracy. The Cars at the head Of
the institution had used 1t to make
their Teigns secure, and the church,
because Of its intimate relation with
the monarchy. received great power and
fabulous wealth.
Church Wealth and Power Gone.
power are gone. When private property
was conhscated at the beginning Of the
Soviet regime church possessions were
not exempted Twenty-Five million
acres Of land, in addition to buildings
and liquid capital of $4,000 900 900
were taken from the Orthodox Church
and nationalized. Today this property
belongs to the state. The church build
1ngs are let out under contract to local
communities of believing citizens. rent
free, to be used only for prayer houses
and cult purposes. These contracts,
voidable at the option of the govern
ment. include minute regulations for the
use Of the property and place complete
restrictions upon the practices of the
believing citizens and their priests in
their relations to the buildings.
Not only are the churches deprived
OF all their wealth, but they are pre-
Guided from accommodating new fortunes,
as they are denied the rights of judicial
bodies and are incapable Of holding
property Compulsory assessments of
the members Of the church are forbid
den under penalty of Imprisonment for
the offending agents. A complete ac-
counting to the state is demanded of
al priests, showing the amount of
money received in voluntary contribu-
tons and q record of disbursements
The church organization cannot estab-
l1sh any kind of central treasury for
sect funds, but must keep all financial
matters local: this checks any strong
centralized church with money from
coming into being. All funds collected
must come only from voluntary gifts Of
members Of the organization: no non
members can contribute and local gov
ernments, irrespective of their religious
interests, cannot grant any subsidies
from local state treasures to the church.
Minor Church Members Forbidden.
Further basic legislation piled I'D
against the churches not only prohibits
their former activities, but strikes at the
very foundations of their existence. No
community Of believing citizens entitled
70 the use of a church building can
number among its members any person
under ID years of age and no priest may
use the property for a school for young
people, conduct any social activity in it
or keep on the premises any books not
required for ceremonial use. AS q
corollary to these restrictions, he II
also forbidden to meet groups of young
people below the religious age outside
OF church property for any sort of in
struction. In this way formal religious
education is denied the youth of the
land and the complete burden of any
church training falls upon the parents,
who must compete with Soviet schools,
where all religion is mathematical and
MARKHAM materialist doctrine is taught
with fervor.
The law demanding that all religious
organizations be conducted upon dem
ocratic basis proved an effective and
potent move in the Soviet campaign to
weaken the church, as it was directly
responsible for the schism in the Greek
Orthodox ranks at time when unity
was essential. The Czarist Church was
autocratic in its administration. It was
ruled by the celibate princes of the
faith, who meditated in lavish monas-