Cold War Religion Analysis

The Cold War era was shaped by America's mission to spread democracy and to perfect the world. America still tries to impose their will on the rest of the world. The Cold War liberal concept of “political religion” emerged with the thought that: “[…] man is a 'religious animal' whose propensity to devotion can consequently be exploited for non-religious ends.” (Toscano 205) Furthermore Toscano explains that: “[...] political religions are marked by an enthusiasm for abstraction […] but in the case of communism also of borderless universality” (Toscano 208). The latter statement introduces the ideology behind the political religion of communism since communists wanted to abolish social classes, money and the state. The communist is described as a power gaining, religious person. While analyzing this concept it becomes evident that a strict distinction of the two ideologies is challenging. The political part of the political religion mostly dominates which is supported by the fact that it is a “Cold War liberal concept” which implies no religious notion whatsoever.
One of the major shortcomings Toscano mentions is that: “[...]
As Daniel Bell states, religion is a method to deal with the fear of death. (Bell 224) The fear of death rather arises through the political conflicts; especially in terms of the Cold War since it claimed the lifes of thousands of people. Religion normally offers empathy for those suffering and palliative care supports the believer on his death-bed. During the last decade the fear of death has increased because the individual, rather than the mass, is offended by everyday disputes. The only solution political religion offers to this problem is to “emphasiz[e] the omnipotence of a movement” as Daniel Bell claims. (Bell 225) Therefore, confronting the current political conflict or movement rather than suppressing it offers a solution to deal with