There could be no doubt that the changes did not represent a real change of heart. The Communists’ objective was still the strangulation of all religion. But their tactics were becoming more subtle. They saw the advantage of using “salami tactics,” whittling away the power and support of religion gradually. This would avoid the undue arousing of opposition, or the creating of martyrs for religion, as had been the case with the head-on tactics used at first.

Actions Show Objective Unchanged

That the government’s long-range policy of destroying religion had not changed could be seen in its official acts and pronouncements. For instance, despite the concessions made to religion in return for its support, the right to spread one’s religion was still forbidden. The profession of atheism continued to be a condition for membership in the Communist party.

Also, religious instruction continued to be forbidden in school. Atheism was still the official teaching, and it included anti-religious propaganda. Special attention was given to the promotion of atheism among the “Young Pioneers” and “Union of Communist Youth.” The party’s official policy was summed up in this counsel published in Komsomolskaya Pravda, the official journal of the youth league:

“Young Communists must be not only convinced atheists and opposed to all superstitions [religion], but must actively combat the spread of superstitions and prejudices among youth.”

The death of Stalin did not halt the Soviet’s long-range goals against religion. Toward the end of the 1950’s and especially in the early 1960’s under Premier Nikita Khrushchev, much pressure was brought to bear against all religious groups. The scope of it became evident later. New York Times correspondent Peter Grose reported:

“The extent of the damage done to the religious structure across the Soviet Union in the five years before 1964 is now becoming apparent. Dissident churchman in Russia have claimed that 10,000 places of worship were closed down by authorities in those years. . . .

“A vast bureaucratic structure was evolved to insure that church operations across the land were brought under the effective control of the civil power.”

Hence, while Communist leaders have made adjustments in their fight against religion, they have been, and continue to be, single-minded in their objectives. They work unceasingly toward wiping out religion in the Soviet Union.