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Religion Bulletin: Religion instruction is abolished in Russia
RELIGIOUS EVENTS IN HISTORY
On Jan. 20, 1918, following the Bolshevik Revolution, all church property is confiscated and all religious instruction in schools is abolished across Russia. In an effort to establish state atheism, the Communist government targeted religions based on state interests and became the first state with the official ideology of eliminating existing religion and preventing the future implementation of religious belief. Although most organized religions were not outlawed, believers were harassed and ridiculed while atheism was propagated in schools following the revolution. Personal expressions of religious faith were not banned, but the government imposed a strong social stigma and it was considered unacceptable for members of certain government professions (teachers, bureaucrats, soldiers) to be openly religious and anti-secular.