Bezbozhnik
Encyclopedia
Bezbozhnik was a monthly anti-religious
and atheistic
satirical magazine, published in the Soviet Union
between 1922 and 1941 by the Society of the Godless. Between 1923 and 1931, there was also a daily newspaper called Bezbozhnik u Stanka (Безбожник у станка; "The Godless at the Workplace"). Its first issue was published in December 1922, with an print run of 15,000, but its circulation reached as much as 200,000 in 1932.
Soviet Union, with reports of closing churches, unemployed priests and ignored religious holidays. Starting with the mid-1920s, religion was seen as an economic threat to the peasantry, whom, it said, were being oppressed by the clergy.
Its main targets were Christianity
and Judaism
, accusing rabbi
s and priests of collaborating with the bourgeoisie
and other counter-revolutionaries (see White movement
). The rabbis were accused of promoting hostility between Jews and Gentiles
. Bezbozhnik alleged that some rabbis in the tsarist government
's pay had helped organize anti-Jewish pogrom
s, while claiming that such actions had sparked similar atrocities in England
, South Africa
and other countries.
Priests were attacked as being parasites
who lived off the work of the peasants. It reported of priests who admitted deceiving the peasants and who supposedly renounced their profession. For instance, it ran a story about a certain Sergei Tomilin, who allegedly claimed 150 kilograms of wheat and 21 metres of linen for each marriage he conducted, performing over 30 marriages in just a few weeks and thus receiving the wage a schoolteacher would have earned in 10 years.
The magazine criticized the Jewish holiday of Passover
as encouraging excessive drinking, because of the requirement of drinking four glasses of wine, while Prophet Elijah was accused of being an alcoholic
who got "drunk as a swine".
Writer Mikhail Bulgakov
once visited the offices of the Bezbozhnik and got a set of back numbers. He was shocked by its content, not only by what he saw as "boundless blasphemy
", but also by its claims, such as that Jesus Christ was a rogue and a scoundrel. Bulgakov believed that this was "a crime beyond measure" and he thought that it was the work of the Jews.
Bezhboznik used humour as part of its atheist propaganda, since humour was able to reach both educated and barely literate audiences. For example, in 1924, Bezhboznik u Stanka issued a brochure called How to Build a Godless Corner, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Eastern Orthodox
Icon Corner
. The brochure included a set of two big posters with anti-religious slogans, seven other smaller humoristic posters, six back issues from Bezhboznik u Stanka, from which to cut other images and instructions on how to assemble it. Such corners were suggested to be made at workplaces and the owner was encouraged to spend time at them and to try to convert other workers.
By the 1930s, the Bezbozhnik began to stray away from its original subject, religion and atheism and it began publishing more general political subjects. Bezbozhnik was closed down in 1941, during World War II
and the invasion of the Soviet Union
by Nazi Germany
.
Religion in the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was the first state to have as an ideological objective the elimination of religion and its replacement with atheism. To that end, the communist regime confiscated religious property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in schools...
and atheistic
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
satirical magazine, published in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
between 1922 and 1941 by the Society of the Godless. Between 1923 and 1931, there was also a daily newspaper called Bezbozhnik u Stanka (Безбожник у станка; "The Godless at the Workplace"). Its first issue was published in December 1922, with an print run of 15,000, but its circulation reached as much as 200,000 in 1932.
History
Initially, the publication ridiculed all religious belief as being a sign of ignorance and superstition, while claiming that the religion was dying in the officially atheistState atheism
State atheism is the official "promotion of atheism" by a government, sometimes combined with active suppression of religious freedom and practice...
Soviet Union, with reports of closing churches, unemployed priests and ignored religious holidays. Starting with the mid-1920s, religion was seen as an economic threat to the peasantry, whom, it said, were being oppressed by the clergy.
Its main targets were Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, accusing rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s and priests of collaborating with the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
and other counter-revolutionaries (see White movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
). The rabbis were accused of promoting hostility between Jews and Gentiles
Goy
is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...
. Bezbozhnik alleged that some rabbis in the tsarist government
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
's pay had helped organize anti-Jewish pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s, while claiming that such actions had sparked similar atrocities in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
and other countries.
Priests were attacked as being parasites
Parasitism (social offense)
Social parasitism is a charge that is leveled against a group or class in society which is considered to be detrimental to the whole by analogy with biologic parasitism .-General concept:...
who lived off the work of the peasants. It reported of priests who admitted deceiving the peasants and who supposedly renounced their profession. For instance, it ran a story about a certain Sergei Tomilin, who allegedly claimed 150 kilograms of wheat and 21 metres of linen for each marriage he conducted, performing over 30 marriages in just a few weeks and thus receiving the wage a schoolteacher would have earned in 10 years.
The magazine criticized the Jewish holiday of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
as encouraging excessive drinking, because of the requirement of drinking four glasses of wine, while Prophet Elijah was accused of being an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
who got "drunk as a swine".
Writer Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
once visited the offices of the Bezbozhnik and got a set of back numbers. He was shocked by its content, not only by what he saw as "boundless blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
", but also by its claims, such as that Jesus Christ was a rogue and a scoundrel. Bulgakov believed that this was "a crime beyond measure" and he thought that it was the work of the Jews.
Bezhboznik used humour as part of its atheist propaganda, since humour was able to reach both educated and barely literate audiences. For example, in 1924, Bezhboznik u Stanka issued a brochure called How to Build a Godless Corner, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Icon Corner
Icon Corner
The Icon Corner is a small worship space prepared in the homes of Eastern Orthodox or Greek-Catholic Christians.The Book of Acts and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul record that in the early Church, Christians used to meet in the homes of the faithful. This tradition of the "House Church"...
. The brochure included a set of two big posters with anti-religious slogans, seven other smaller humoristic posters, six back issues from Bezhboznik u Stanka, from which to cut other images and instructions on how to assemble it. Such corners were suggested to be made at workplaces and the owner was encouraged to spend time at them and to try to convert other workers.
By the 1930s, the Bezbozhnik began to stray away from its original subject, religion and atheism and it began publishing more general political subjects. Bezbozhnik was closed down in 1941, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.