Christ and the Communists: What's Wrong with Zyuganov's Religious Fantasies

The chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation conducted a content analysis of the Sermon on the Mount and the Moral Code of the builders of communism, and on this basis ranked Jesus Christ among the first communists.

Yelena Ivanova, Natalia Seibil

“The first communist on the planet in the new reckoning was Jesus Christ. Put the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus and the Code of Ethics of the builders of communism - one on one. You will just gasp!", - said the leader of the Communist Party in an interview with the radio station "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

There really is something to gasp for. Or gasp. As you know, the Moral Code of the builders of communism is a product of the Soviet era. It was adopted in the late Khrushchev period, so the new ideological weapon of the CPSU was not known to either Marx-Engels, Lenin or Stalin. Before the attempt to humanize the communist ideology, the experience of history was performed to a rhythm that beats off the guillotine, as predicted by the founding father of communism Karl Marx - through revolution, uprising and the dictatorship of the proletariat.

- According to Lenin's thought, class expediency is the criterion of good and evil. This is Marxism and communism, which was clearly and honestly formulated, realized by the party represented by Zyuganov, and implemented. It’s hard for me to understand what this has to do with Christianity, ”says Russian religious and public figure Andrey Kurayev.

For scholars studying the history of the church, it is obvious that Gennady Andreevich either did not read the Sermon on the Mount, or read according to the principle of the immortal Zhvanetsky “we write here, we don’t write here, we wrap the fish here”. Because the Moral Code has nothing to do with the Gospel, says church historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergey Bychkov:

"The Lord gives us two commandments - about love for God and about love for neighbor. Not only is the word “love” absent in the Code, but for the communists in the 60s of the 20th century to love God? It’s even impossible to imagine. Of course, it’s all sucked, as one of my acquaintances said, from a long unwashed finger. There are absolutely no intersections. The Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai begin with the commandment that we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our thoughts".

The damage inflicted by the Soviet regime under the leadership of the Communist Party on believers and all religions cannot be forgotten or corrected. Tens of thousands of destroyed churches, murdered priests of all religions, constant persecution of believers - this is the real result of communism, built in a particular country, in relation to believers. The first Bolsheviks, Lenin and Trotsky, were fighters against God.

- They were not atheists, because they felt the presence of God and perceived him as some kind of hostile force that they must destroy. When God was mentioned under Lenin, he began to shake, spit saliva, and use strange terms. He said to Gorky: every god is corpses. This is a literal quote, - reminds Sergey Bychkov.

American writer Graham Greene, being a Christian and Catholic, met with Italian communists in the 70s and won them over with his admission that communists and Christians have much in common - both of them have blood on their hands. But there is a significant difference, notes Andrey Kurayev. When Christians have blood on their hands up to the elbows, this obviously contradicts the teachings of the founders of Christianity. When communists have blood on their hands, this is quite consistent with the teachings of their founders.

Gennady Zyuganov himself did not invent about the early Christians as the first communists. Karl Marx wrote about this 170 years ago. Early Christian communism was built on the principle "what's yours is mine." Dreams that man is a brother to man have nothing to do with Marxism, they are very ancient. John Chrysostom said: "When these cold words disappear - yours and mine". The principle of Leninist communism is fundamentally different: what's yours is mine. The ideology is based on expropriation, and the slogan "Rob the loot!" everyone remembers, although the leader of the communists tries to forget it.

"According to Lenin, class expediency is the criterion of good and evil. This is Marxism and communism, which was clearly and honestly formulated, realized by the party represented by Zyuganov, and implemented. It's hard for me to understand what this has to do with Christianity", - says Andrey Kurayev.

The Communist leader shows closeness to the teachings of Christ regularly before each election. The logic is obvious - the party "fishers of people" go for votes. However, their attempts to lure believers into their camp are not convincing. In the election campaign, since many are playing this game, says Yuliy Nisnevich, Doctor of Political Sciences, the communists also decided that they could play on this basis:

"There is a serious ideological problem: serious classical communism is atheistic. In theory, this is an atheistic ideology. They have been standing up for a long time. On the one hand, they are communists, and on the other hand, they go to church, the same Zyuganov, which is not characteristic of the classical communist ideology".

This aggravation of the communists occurs before every election. And this is not only an attempt to expand the electoral base, but also to gain a foothold in the Russian establishment. Philosopher, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergei Perevezentsev believes that both the Communist Party and the people in power have changed a lot. Zyuganov himself, back in the 90s, began to cooperate with the Russian Orthodox Church, which at that time was considered as oppositional activity:

"It's another matter that the political establishment itself has changed. In a spiritual sense. As far as I know, there are more believers there. In this respect, Zyuganov has outpaced the development of the political establishment".

Our establishment has not read any Sermon on the Mount, I am sure Yuliy Nisnevich, they do not understand what it is at all:

“Establishment behavior is the antithesis of the Sermon on the Mount. The entire establishment first commits some unseemly act, and then runs to church to atone for sins - well, yes, in this sense, Zyuganov is like everyone else".

There are several factors that raise doubts about the effectiveness of the tactics of winning the votes of believers. Sergei Bychkov does not believe that the communist word will reach the hearts of deeply religious people rooted in Scripture. Older people remember the persecution and destruction of churches and monasteries. Only a tiny percentage can buy these claims.

"These are attempts to revive a corpse that lies on Red Square and breathe life into it. Soon we will wait until they tell us that Lenin was a believer and a Christian. Scripture says that demons also believe and tremble. Therefore, what is there to be surprised at", - says the historian.

You can often hear that there is a religious renaissance in Russia and throughout the world. But the real numbers tell a different story. Indeed, opinion polls in our country show that 80% of the respondents call themselves believers, and 64% - Orthodox. But when scientists begin to analyze other polls, for example, how many people know the 10 Commandments, or how often people go to church, then even the ROC data indicate that there are from 10 to 12% of them.

"Generally speaking, true believers, if not to be completely rude, are a marginal stratum. This is a minority, moreover, a large minority. And then there is a game that calls itself Orthodoxy. How can a person who does not believe in God be Orthodox? There are also lots of them. There is sociology that shows this", - says Professor Nisnevich.

Most people choose religion as a self-identifier. The atomization of society pushes its members so that they can cling to something, to become attached to something, so as not to feel like a tumbleweed. And they are not confused by the not very high moral authority of the ROC. Those who join are not interested in essential things, they play with symbols. Yuliy Nisnevich is sure:

"There are a lot of moral and ethical claims to the Russian Orthodox Church. I'm not talking about modern stories with apartments, Mercedes, diamonds and watches. The Soviet legacy has not yet completely disappeared. AN Yakovlev (head of the propaganda department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the architect of perestroika - "NI") has a wonderful book "Twilight". He speaks almost literally: I know all the leaders of the ROC well, I know their KGB nicknames, but I will never tell anyone this and will take it with me. Imagine: a man whom we know well, in Soviet times, was the main responsible for the international relations of the Russian Orthodox Church. Do you think he is with our organs in any way? And they still have this internal problem".

Citizens who have felt a new closeness to religion are not peculiar to such reflections, because symbols are more important for them. Zyuganov's rhetoric is designed specifically for such people.

Sergey Perevezentsev, on the contrary, says that after the ban on faith was lifted, millions of people returned to their traditions, hence the strengthening of the influence of the church:

"Political activity is prohibited in the church. There is a decision by the Synod. The clergy and the episcopate have no right to engage in political activity. Ordinary believers - have the right and are engaged. Consequently, there will be no direct support for any political force. Apparently, there is a reckoning on the patriotic layer of Orthodox people".

The acquisition of Christ by the communists is not taking place without the support of the Russian authorities. So that the communists do not remember their own roots, so that they do not become real communists, they are offered simulacra, a dummy of communism led by grandfather Zyuganov. Obviously, this tactic works, because in the country there are neither real trade unions, nor serious labor movements that would fight the oligarchs. Russia is considered a social state only according to the Constitution, but in reality it is not so, Kurayev believes:

"This is not only an attempt to expand the electoral base. This is common prostitution. Because it is clear that Zyuganov and Zhirinovsky are such special political technology products of the presidential administration, canalizers. Their task is to be drain pipes for the release of some protest moods. In order to keep the communists, holders of red party cards, in their hands, it is necessary to convince them from time to time from a high party rostrum that they should be meek sheep. Like a Christian flock. This is what grandfather Ziu proclaims in those days when the horoscope compiled by his daughter favors him".

As part of the systemic opposition and, accordingly, part of the establishment, the leadership of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and personally Gennady Zyuganov do not need any open clashes with the authorities. This explains the ridiculous attempts to "fish" in someone else's pond. Meanwhile, with any socio-economic aggravation and social outrage, the Communist Party receives the support of citizens, because in the eyes of citizens, the Communists remain an opposition party, despite all the maneuvers of the party elite. Praise, according to Yuli Nisnevich's definition, the "legend" of the Soviet Union also goes to the piggy bank of the Communist Party. People who lived under Soviet rule themselves create myths and legends about a "peaceful and just life" under the leadership of the Communist Party.

Sergey Bychkov does not believe that church-going people will be able to quickly forget all the injustice and cruelty of the Soviet regime and the communists towards believers:

"For 70 years there has been an unprecedented persecution in 2000 years, which bled the church. They hope that people are forgetful, that they have forgotten everything. We all the time hear nostalgic exclamations about how good it was under the Soviet regime, everything was provided and guaranteed, people received pensions on time, but they forget that it was equality in poverty, that people were persecuted even for expressing thoughts that ran counter to communist ideology".

The introduction of the myth of the good Soviet Union through the people who lived at that time affects the family environment. There is a theory that human beliefs and attitudes arise at the age of 10-11, and most of the value foundations are laid in the family. No matter how hard the Soviet government tried to educate a new person, nothing came of it. If the legend of the Soviet Union is accepted and passed on in the family, the danger of manipulating human views increases.

Yuliy Nisnevich pronounces a sad verdict on the state of Russian society:

"The modern Russian society, in general, is absolutely devoid of ideas and immoral, there is no core there. All these braces are, in general, nonsense. The society is very atomized, there are no ideological norms. They have it - what is useful to me is also beneficial. What is beneficial to me is the norm. In such a society, such phantom things easily take root. But it is not phantom things that change society, it is the manifestation of internal problems. And the authorities indulge this very much".

Even from the point of view of the election campaign, Zyuganov's maneuvers on the field of faith in God in reality weaken the potential of his party. However, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has been in the highest echelons of power for too long to suspect that he is making a mistake. As the saying goes, if stars are lit in the sky, it means that someone needs it. First of all, to Gennady Andreevich himself. He has complete understanding with the Russian authorities.