LEMMINGS CAN'T GET TO THE CLIFF FAST ENOUGH:

Russell met many of the leaders of the Soviet State. When he returned to England he described his experiences in a book entitled The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism. How did he view the Soviet attempt at realising Socialism? He concluded that "Bolshevism is not merely a political doctrine: it is also a religion, with elaborate dogmas and inspired scriptures." By way of explanation he added: "By a religion I mean a set of beliefs held as dogmas, dominating the conduct of life, going beyond or contrary to evidence, and inculcated by methods which are emotional or authoritarian. Not intellectual. By this definition, Bolshevism is a religion: that its dogmas go beyond or contrary to evidence. Those who accept Bolshevism become impervious to scientific evidence, and commit intellectual suicide."

Bertrand Russell's views were not shared by the other Parliamentarians visiting Russia at the time. But another visitor, the distinguished economist John Maynard Keynes, noted similar tendencies. He wrote, in his essay a Short View of Russia in 1925: "If Communism achieves a certain success, it will achieve it, not as an improved economic technique but as a religion." And then Keynes asked the question: "But as a religion what are its forces?" And the answer: "Perhaps they are considerable. The exaltation of the common man is a dogma which has caught the multitude before now. Any religion and the bond which unites co-religionists have power against the egotistic atomism of the irreligious."

Let us make a few comparisons. Although Communism is more similar to Islam, here we tend to be more familiar with the tenets of Christianity, so I shall use mainly that religion (especially Catholicism) to compare the two.

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