'The writer to the "Spectator" in dealing with the Religious' Question tells us of well-filled churches in Moscow and then naively states hho was told that the preaching of sermons was the only restriction imposed by the authorities on the clergy. Two of the most important offices of a priest are those of teaching religion and preaching it; both are now a penal offence in Bolshevik I will now prove the unspeakable foulness of the Bolshevik attack on religion by extracts taken from their own official documents and Journals, which are in themselves yutable evidence; eae bozhnik," oF trockly newspaper of a. volently anti-religious character, published Moscow by the Russian Satanists, the following statements appeared;— equally intoxicating and poisonous for the mind, will and conscience. We must fight ruthlessly against them."
The explanation of the Almighty as follows:—"The heathen gods were fond of blood, and very often their worshippers offered them their own children or strange people, making the gods, drink human blood, painting with it the mouths of the idols. The heir and successor of the heathen gods, th good god of th much more fastidious taste. (The initial letters the word "god" and "his" are printed small in the original).
Especially active measures have eon taken to disseminate anti-reigious propaganda amongst the children. Paragraph 5 of the section concerning' political education of the programme adopted at the Third All-Russian Conference of the Unions of Communistic Youth is to bring ap con scientious communists, Therefore it regards as its duty to fight the religious disease which demoralizes the young generation and enables the bourgeoisie deceive, the people."
The awful effect of this foul propaganda on the unformed minds of little children is betrayed in the following extracts from the official Soviet paper "/=vestia" for January 1928. They are:—
"The younger generation shows an enormous interest. in political and sociological questions, as well as in questions of religion and sex. At every meeting numerous questions, are put about........ senses, conscience, truth, love and sex problems.
Not long ago there was published in Moscow and reproduced Britain a caricature of the most solemn event in the life of our Divine Redeemer, "The Last Supper." It is so horrible in its every detail that one might, indeed, well imagine that we were wing the scene of some drunken orgy," some Bacchanalian revel. After. the Bolshevist invasion of Georgia, churches were closed, the clergy were arrested, and sacred articles were sold. The Cathedral of Koutais, as beautiful as it was ancient, stood in the middle of a large open place; the Reds wishing to hold their meetings there, had this magnificent monument pulled down. So also "in other places in the country once known as "Holy Russia" sacred edifices are demolished on the slightest pretext and for the flimsiest of reasons.
Like Diocletian, the Bolsheviks are persecuting Christianity with diabolical fury but religion will not be killed by decree and the Russian Church, freed from the humiliating protection of. the State, will play its part in the and happy future which I Fromly believe awaits the. Christian peoples of Ru:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.