Leon Trotsky Quote

“Religions are illogical primitive ignorance. There is nothing as ridiculous and tragic as a religious government.”

~ Leon Trotsky


Ratings and Comments


Mike, Mount Holly, NC

Marxism is the religion of the Left.

Me Again
  • Reply
Me Again    9/6/06

I don't believe that religions are illogical. Primative? If that means that some religions are centuries old, well I guess that's true in that context. Religions are a form of ignorance? I don't see how that might be. Now,the second part of this quote: "There is nothing as ridiculous and tragic as a religious government." Well,I guess politics and religion are not supposed to mix but the US Constitution and Bill of Rights were written by our Founding Fathers who incorporated their beliefs of God given rights for all humans. I guess I don't understand the second sentence of this quote.

Anonymous
  • Reply
Anonymous    9/6/06

Government should have NOTHING to do with religion. A politician can have religious beliefs which guide their decision, but politics and religion should mix like oil and water. (Mike- your comment is a waste of bandwidth)

Anonymous, Reston, VA US

While SOME of the founding "fathers" were religious, THEY saw the truth of the sense of this quote (unlike King George Then and King George Now).

Joe, Rochester, MI

Socialism is the religion of the left, as practiced by democrats.

Mike, Mount Holly, NC

The purpose of government is to protect the lives and rights of it's citizens. It does so by enforcing laws and punishing law-breakers and by providing a national defense. The root of our laws is the Judeo-Christian moral law, so in a sense the government cannot be divorced from religion. I don't agree with a theocracy or that we should have a State sponsored religion. Religion in government schools? Why is the government involved with education in the first place? I believe our Constitutional Republic is the best form of government going, but our government operates so far outside it's Constitutional boundaries and has for so long, we have no concept of what a true Constitutional government looks like.

E Archer, NYC

As far as I can tell, there is no religion that embraces the search for Truth. Quite the contrary, the assertion is that the religion IS the Truth, the acceptance of which is a duty. Logic plays little part and is often refuted as heresy. Ignorance seems fairly common among the followers -- and it is engouraged to ignore other 'scriptures' from other faiths. A religious government is indeed tragic and guaranteed to be a source of distress and violence for the people under it. This is not unique to Marxist thought -- it was the very reason the 1st Amendment to the Constitution was included.

Dick, Fort Worth

The best of philosophers and historians (including the Durants)realize that morality and ethics came before any religion. Religion developed as a way of enforcing ethical behavior and went downhill from there. Trotsky was one of many who realized the truth.

Ken, Allyn, WA

Religion is the basis of civilization. There is no civilization that has ever existed or that exists today that does not have as its basis a "religious" code of conduct which tells society what morality is, how citizens ought to behave toward one another, and provides a common connection between the members of society. Marxist philosophy qualifies as religion, as does secular humanism (the modern "religion" of western Europe). The difference is that government is god, since all human rights emanate from the state, and the state is the provider of all that is "good" and people dutifully worship it.

Anonymous, Jack, Green, OH

Religions have always existed as people seek an explanation for the unexplainable. A clerical hierarchy will rise up in every society as surely as entrepreneurs or other classes who claim to know the "truth", but, being unknowable, their truths are all pure dogma. Dogma is a very dangerous thing as there is no basis in fact so people resort to any means to convince others that their dogmas are the only real truth, making all others false by definition. More wars have been fought over religion than any other cause. It might even be argued all wars were.

A.Jurgensen, Stuart, FL

We have in evidence this very day the perfect example of the evil of religious government. GW Bush has shared with us that God guides his every move. "As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts' desire at last when the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." -- H.L. Mencken. Red State America has made Mencken's prediction come true...we HAVE that moron in residence.

James Ketola, Glencoe

I like hearing people who think before opening their mouths.

BrechtV, Bruges

Marxism ain't no religion, fool.

Anonymous, Guildford

This quote rings false, coming from Trotsky. What is the source?

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