User:AK/Militant atheism
Czechoslovakia
When communists seized power in former Czechoslovakia in February 1948, part of their agenda was also a fight against “dangerous ideological enemy that holds enormous influence on the masses”.[1] Thus, the monasteries had been seized by state security service (StB) during three so called “barbaric nights” in 1950. In total, 3142 people were displaced by force into concentrating monasteries. These were in case of male members of orders virtually turned into prison camps or labor camps secured with guards and strict regime aiming the “political re-education” of monks. The 213 monastery buildings and facilities were confiscated by state and content of many ancient precious libraries that survived even Turko-Tatar attacks in the middle ages was scrapped and used for cardboard production.”[2]
In 1957 ŠtB arrested university students in eastern Slovakia town Košice who held Bible study meetings. The consequent investigations lead to further arrests of Christians and lawsuit in 1959 with non-public hearing and coverage by state-controlled media. Newspapers brought up the case under titles „Poison in gold-foil“, „Sects are eradicating the thinking of youth“ and „Report on trial with blue crusaders“ (Blue Cross was Christian abstinent association fighting alcoholism). The arrested members of Blue Cross were found „guilty“ of „spreading hostile Christian ideology“ that is „contradicting scientific Marxist ideology“. They were sentenced pursuant to paragraph on subversion of republic. At the same time their personal correspondence, typing machines and Christian literature was confiscated, mainly the one written by national author Kristína Royová,[3] regarded by some authors for "Slovak Kierkegaard".[4]
References
- ↑ NMI (2011). Likvidácia kláštorov v komunistickom Československu – Barbarská noc (“Eradication of monasteries in communist Czechoslovakia – Barbaric night”). Nation's Memory Institute.
- ↑ NMI (2011). Likvidácia kláštorov v komunistickom Československu – Barbarská noc, výpovede svedkov (“Eradication of monasteries in communist Czechoslovakia – Barbaric night, reports of witnesses”). Nation's Memory Institute. “Teodor Hlaváč: After internment in Podolínec.""One man took his stand in front of all, at this place we used to have gatherings twice a day, and while facing us he started his speech: "Well, the oldest of you, noble biggies, especially those with big bellies, can get ready to scrub the stairs while youngsters will start learning innovative songs of progress. "That's how many of them were humiliated, the youngest of us including me were however on one occasion loaded into the bus in September 1950 and transported to Prešov. There at military headquarters we were told that we had become soldiers who are obliged to start military service within three days in the 53rd auxiliary technical Battalion in one town of northern Moravia that was called Libava. Indeed, this happened exactly as it was announced and we embarked the Battalion there in. I still keep one picture of Podolínec from that period, you can see all this absurdity there in, as we carry and move from place piles of stones in wheelbarrows, and then piles of trash and a pile of wood, to another corner of backyard of Podolínec former monastery, I can even find a remark on the reverse side of this photo: Podolínec, May 1950. Thus, that barbarous night was truly barbaric, because at the very same time when we were forced to rehearse innovative "songs of progress", they have been carting away in trucks the content from libraries of these institutions, monasteries, various institutes, they collected this stuff on waste disposal plant, there in factory they reduced it into a pulp and at the end used for cardboard production. I also heard the testimonies of people from Rajhrad. The local library was considered to be one of the oldest libraries at all within the territory of Bohemia and Moravia. It had managed to survive the Tatar attacks and even a Turkish invasion, when the Turks reached that region. Under their reign, the library was not destroyed and also Tartars respected so called "white monks", who helped them with medical treatments, healing and so on. Only at this occasion of Barbaric night organized by communists the library has been fully liquidated, by carting away all its stuff. Thus, it is in no way any exaggeration if that night, when the destruction of monasteries took place, was labeled as barbaric. Such deep harsh damage to cultural heritage had arguably hardly ever happened.""”
- ↑ Slavka, M. et al. (1994). Naše korene. Bratislava: Nádej. “In 1957 StB arrested Miloš Rataj, undergraduate student in Košice. He was a son of teacher and poet Ján Rataj. Miloš Rataj together with his fellow students held private Bible Study and prayer meetings at the hostel belonging to university campus. Somebody reported their activities to authorities what triggered investigations and later leaded to a lawsuit. In the newspaper „Východoslovenské Noviny“ there were consequently published articles „Poison in gold-foil“ (No.41 in 1959), „Sects are eradicating the thinking of youth“ and „Report on trial with blue crusaders“. It was just a preparation for more thorough trial at court in Bratislava, where prior to that trial further church members had been arrested, namely Ing. O. Lupták, Ing. Vl. Matej, J. Rosa and J. Hollý from Stará Turá. The hearings during the trial were behind the closed doors excluding the public (sep 1959). The main guilt of accused was that they as members of blue cross „spread hostile Christian ideology“ that is „contradicting scientific Marxist ideology“. They were sentenced pursuant to paragraph on subversion of republic. At the same time their personal correspondence, typing machines and Christian literature was confiscated, mainly the one written by national author Kristína Royová.”
- ↑ Trúsik, Pavol (2/2011). Kristína Royová – slovenský Kierkegaard? (Kristína Royová – Slovak Kierkegaard?). Ostium, Internet journal for humanitarian science. Retrieved on 2011-08-19. “We can conclude that (Kristína) Royová was sort of Slovak version of Kierkegaard.”
