S3:E13 Godless Utopia
In Russia during the Soviet era, hundred of posters and magazine covers were printed to encourage people to abandon their faith. They were state-sponsored and designed to be interpreted even by people who could not read. This propaganda clearly tied anti-Christian sentiment to the United States.
In his new book, Godless Utopia, Roland Elliott Brown collected a number of these images and provided commentary on their meaning.
What does it mean that we call the United States a Christian nation? What does it mean when presidents like Ronald Reagan merge their faith with the US? How does that impact our witness? These are questions we’ll continue exploring throughout this series.
Helpful links:
- You can view images from the book here. Please note that some of these images may not be appropriate for all eyes.
- Watch the whole “evil empire” speech here.
- Article about Ruth Snyder, the first woman to be sent to the electric chair
- Rolland’s article about Soviet propaganda (see page 18)
- Mobituaries podcast episode about lynching and D.W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation”
Topics covered:
- What did Soviet propaganda look like?
- How did Stalin use the Orthodox church to fight in WWII?
- What was Ronald Reagan’s “evil empire” speech?
- Is it okay for US Presidents to speak at Christian events?
