Date: 02 Sep 96 03:01:10 EDT
Subject: Re: MARXISM & RELIGION


On Jesuits, see Trotsky's "Their Morals and Ours" (hard to get these days but
absolutely indispensable. Some pacifist accused the bolsheviks of being like
Jesuits. Trotsky replied that at least jesuits fought for their class  and had
more life in them than the shopkeepers and accountants who stayed at home. The
only point of similarity between jesuits and bolsheviks is the confidence and
enthusiasm for their class. But bolsheviks are for the universal class, the one
which is now the biggest in the world and the only one which can dethrone
profit.
	As for the question of catholicism being progressive.... I think it's a
bit shallow to suppose that the different uprisings (Spain 1936 Portugal 1974
Poland 1980 Chile 1973) which have happened in "catholic" countries happened
there because the countries were catholic.  The other thing they have in common
is being countries not in the very centre of capital accumulation. 
	
John Mullen
SI France



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