But can the world’s troubles really be blamed on religion? Well, what about Communism? And what about the oppression by the rich that has caused many to turn to Communism?

Josef Hromadka, dean of the Comenius theological faculty in Prague, Czechoslovakia, said: “I am not a Communist, I am a Christian. But I know that it is we, we Christians alone, who are responsible for Communism. . . . We ‘said, and did not.’ . . . Remember that the Communists once were Christians. If they do not believe in a just God, whose fault is it?”¹b

It is not only hypocritical piety that has turned millions against the churches. There is more to it. Whom has world religion generally supported? Has it not been the oppressive rich, the wealthy landowners and powerful business interests? To find relief, many have turned to Communism.

Could Communism have come to power in Russia if the Church there had not supported wealthy landowners and other oppressive elements to the point that reaction was inevitable? Could Communism have taken hold in China had it not been for the treatment the people there received at the hands of the nations of Christendom?