I found a issue of The Improvement Era the other day. This was a magazine produced by the LDS Church — this one’s from 1966 — and it actually had ads. Can you imagine the Ensign today running ads?
This caught my eye — it’s on the first page. Check the tagline for this ad for ‘Great Books’.
Why the Godless hate these books
…and why the God-fearing find daily inspiration in them
We all know that Stalin in particular hated Volume 50: Marx. And atheists today can’t stand Volume 49: Darwin.
It’s the earliest example I’ve seen of the ‘Hitler and Stalin were atheists’ trope, still seen today, and refuted somewhat ably here.
That aside, it occurs to me how little things have changed in 50 years. Atheists are, and have always been, demonised by the god-fearing. But anti-book? What an odd accusation. It’s not the secular left that’s tried to burn and ban them.
19 October 2007 at 1:09 am
Just yesterday I was listening to a podcast of Real Time w/ Bill Maher and Dr. Cornel West pulled out the old “Atheists have commited genocide” cunard. I was really put back, I generally enjoy listening to him debate, I was surprised that someone in his capacity would make such a tired accusation.
19 October 2007 at 5:18 am
Indeed.
Communists have committed genocide. These communists were also atheists and, would you believe, oxygen-breathers. Clearly oxygen-breathing was what caused the genocide, and I suggest everyone stop it forthwith.