The Cage of Reason and the Prison of Faith: on Communism and the Stubbornness of Religion - May 2025

The Cage of Reason and the Prison of Faith: on Communism and the Stubbornness of Religion - May 2025

Criticism of communism and the obstinacy of religion seem to be diametrically opposed systems of thought, but in fact they share a common "thought-stopping structure. Both tend to speak of "truth" and to have a tendency to shut down objections and questions in the name of an ideal society and the salvation of souls.

Communism originally stems from the idea of creating a society in which all people are equal and free from exploitation. In reality, however, under the leadership of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao, a one-party dictatorship was established in the name of realizing the ideal. The proletarian dictatorship was soon transformed into a tool for depriving people of freedom of speech, belief, and movement, and for executing critics as "enemies of the people. On the economic front, the nationalization of the means of production and the quota system made the market inflexible, leading to scarcity and rigidity. Most seriously, morality and even right and wrong were placed under the control of the state. Religion was declared "opium," temples were destroyed in many countries, and the faithful were purged as "superstitious.

Religion, on the other hand, is a pillar of spiritual freedom and ethics, but it also contains a stubbornness that turns a deaf ear to criticism. The discourse of "God commanded it" or "it is written in the scriptures" rejects reasoned argument and renders disproofs and counter-examples meaningless. Even if it is absolute truth to the believer, the attitude of forcing it on others often involves violence and exclusion. Violence in the name of faith is typical of the obstinacy of religion, as seen in the medieval inquisition and witch hunts, and in modern-day jihad and the enforcement of religious commandments. Moreover, religion has often been on the side of repression of social change, with its rejection of complex issues facing modern society, such as gender, LGBT, abortion, and evolution.

It is interesting to note that both communism and religion hold to "the only truth." The former seeks to monopolize correctness through class struggle and historical law, and the latter through God and scripture. And differing opinions are dismissed as "counter-revolutionary" and "heretical. This is the very structure of "cessation of thought," the very structure that rejects different questions and new interpretations, and is the breeding ground for totalitarianism.

Thinkers have sharply criticized this obstinacy. In his novel "1984," George Orwell described a communist surveillance society similar to religious brainwashing, and Karl Popper denounced Marxism as "the enemy of an open society. Hannah Arendt blackmailed totalitarianism as "the destruction of man's power to think."

After all, the starting point of both communism and religion must have been a sincere motivation to save mankind. However, once they perceive that they have attained "absolute rightness," they do not allow others to question them and regard criticism as heresy. From that moment on, it becomes not an idea but an institutionalized violent device. A truly free society is not a place where "answers" are imposed, but a space where people are allowed to hold on to their questions. The obstinacy of communism and religion may be quietly teaching us that.