Marxism-Leninism has consistently advocated the control, suppression, and the elimination of
religious beliefs. The state was committed to the destruction of religion,
[2][3] and destroyed
churches,
mosques and
temples, ridiculed, harassed, incarcerated and executed religious leaders, flooded the schools and media with atheistic teachings, and generally promoted atheism as the truth that society should accept.
[4][5] The total number of Christian victims of Soviet
state atheist policies, has been estimated to range between 12-20 million.
[6][7][8]
Religious beliefs and practices persisted among the majority of the population,
[4] in the domestic and private spheres but also in the scattered public spaces allowed by a state that recognized its failure to eradicate religion and the political dangers of an unrelenting
culture war.