Changes

The '''persecution of Christians in the USSR''' has been the result of the violently atheist [[Soviet]] government.  In the first five years after the [[October Revolution]], 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were murdered, many on the orders of [[Leon Trotsky]].  When [[Josef Stalin]] came to power in 1927, he ordered his secret police, under [[Genrikh Yagoda]] to intensify persecution of Christians.  In the next few years, 50,000 clergy were murdered, many were [[torture]]d, including [[crucifixion]].  "Russia turned red with the blood of martyrs", said Father Gleb Yakunin of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]].[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,150718,00.html]  According to Orthodox Church sources, as many as fifty million Orthodox believers may have died in the [[twentieth century]], mainly from persecution by [[Communists]].

The '''persecution of Christians in the USSR''' has been the result of the violently atheist [[Soviet]] government.  In the first five years after the [[October Revolution]], 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were murdered, many on the orders of [[Leon Trotsky]].  When [[Josef Stalin]] came to power in 1927, he ordered his secret police, under [[Genrikh Yagoda]] to intensify persecution of Christians.  In the next few years, 50,000 clergy were murdered, many were [[torture]]d, including [[crucifixion]].  "Russia turned red with the blood of martyrs", said Father Gleb Yakunin of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]].[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,150718,00.html]  According to Orthodox Church sources, as many as fifty million Orthodox believers may have died in the twentieth century, mainly from persecution by [[Communists]].

[[Category:Persecution of Christians]]

[[Category:Persecution of Christians]]

[[Category:Communism]]

[[Category:Communism]]

[[Category:Orthodox Church]]

[[Category:Orthodox Church]]