Is Communism A Religion?

Communism has doctrine..
Communism has faithful followers.

Perhaps Communism will tell you it's not a religion, and that they don't have a religion, but it looks like one to me.

It looks like a religion that suppresses conforms and conditions and offers hope through its teachings.

 

You can't determine if something this a subset of something else by simply listing similarities. You can't argue that cats are a type of dog by pointing out that they both have noses, tails, fur, claws, etc..

A word applies to a concept if and only if the definition of that word is true for the concept. That being said, the definition of religion is contested (and anyone who will give you a definite one is selling you something). Here is what google suggests:

• the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
• "ideas about the relationship between science and religion"
• synonyms: faith, belief, divinity, worship, creed, teaching, doctrine, theology; More

• a particular system of faith and worship.
  plural noun: religions
  "the world's great religions"

• a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.
  "consumerism is the new religion"

(source)

Given more time, I'd look up definitions in several dictionaries.

I would argue that the first two do not apply, and that the last one refers to religion more like a simile than an actual use of the word (for instance, the example reads more like a rhetorical exaggeration than a factual statement). However, I'm sure there are other interpretations and other definitions to discuss.

In the end, calling communism a religion seems at best subject to people's personal understanding of the words (I'm sure there's some wriggle room in what people call communism too). It is perfectly valid to compare communism to religion and criticise it on similar grounds, making references to each other, but to take the detour into actually arguing that communism *is* a religion seems counterproductive to me.

 

@The Rhetoric of Life I think aswell that communism is very similar to a religion. The same could be said of feminism and post-modernism. The fact they're incompatible with another religion tend to favor that hypothesis.
I would call them "political religion" because they're based on dogma and there is a kind of faith in it.

 

Religion is a word with a fuzzy definition open to some interpretation (like a lot of actual religions ) but I think there is a legitimate element of “I can’t define it but I know one when I see one” and it is generally recognised that a religion will involve some form of spiritual or divine element. You could stretch the definition as you have to cover pretty much any socio-political philosophy but I doubt anyone would deny that whatever you call them, communism, socialism and capitalism are a different class of concept to Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

On that basis, why would you want or need to define communism as a religion? I don’t see what it achieves in regards to understanding or classifying the concept and if anything you’re only going to add confusion. Of course, that could be part of the reasoning and this is simply an attempt to discredit communism (further) by simplistic negative characterisation.

 

It's an ism not a religion.

 

I rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.
Forget its 'name', instead, look at this ism next to a religion and compare the two.

Who care's what the badge or label says, if it's the same thing?

 

Well, by asking whether it is a religion, it seems that you care. You didn't make a thread about economic policy or power structures, you made a thread about whether the word religion applies to communism. The very title of the thread is about whether religion is a label that fits on communism. It becomes very hard to answer that while disregarding badges or labels.

A normal comparison seems much more appropriate.

 

Comparing Communism to religion is fair.
Instead of deity, Communists have statues of Communist leaders and huge murals of their ideologies to inspire.

 

That is certainly true, they have statues. I'm glad we sorted that out.

 

Yeah like statues a religion make.

Wonder if war is a religion based on that doozie definition. Belief, suffering, martyrdom, sacrifice, obeying commandments. All the trimmings.

 

Statues are used by Communism like The Buddha Statue.
Also, Communist doctrine and religious texts to control a populous
-Don't fool yourself into thinking Communism isn't a religion if it acts like one.

Suppression, sacrifice, faithful following, symbols.

 

So suppression is a feature of religion?

What sacrifices does religion impose?

faithful following like these?



symbols like these?


By your definition trump is the leader of his very own religion. go figger.

 

How is this Communism?

I'm on to Communism being a religion in all but name, and you're showing me American democracy.

 

sure, communism can be cultic like evangelicalism or fundamentalism

 

The only thing I understand from your post is that you're comparing Democracy to religion, instead of comparing Communism to a religion.
Yes, we're clear, Communism isn't democratic, that doesn't mean Communism isn't like religion, and Communism being like a religion also in turn doesn't mean Democracy's like religion. I ask you @Jonsa /the good people of this forum - how can Democracy be like religion when Democratic followers don't work for their leaders but their leaders work for them?
How can Democracy be a religion when the people choose their 'God'.?
I maintain that Communism is like a religion, in all but name, and find evident in that Communists can't choose their 'God', or question them.

I can list things Communism suppresses too, including other religions.

Think about it, Communism's a lot like religion, and religion's a lot like Communism.

 

Religionists can be democratic, such as congregationalists run their own unit.

 

Yeah, there can be religious democratic parties, but I suspect Democracy was first mentioned in this thread to mislead the thread from the real truth of Communism's religion.

 

I think he's pointing out that the comparison is, while not incorrect, a bit meaningless. He's comparing your comparison to another, deliberately flawed comparison.

 

It is a world-view, everyone has one.

 

Why is mine a flawed comparison?
Because of some label/some name, some rule that says it's called an ism so it can't be even though it's a form of control with followers, doctrine and enshrined ones?

 

No, because it says nothing at all about philosophy or 'feelings'. It's an ECONOMIC model.

 

There are no 'leaders' in communism - it's collective.

 

What about the communal belief being more important than the individual?
That's not economic.

 

and Progressivism.