Page 167 - Fascism: The Bloody Ideology Of Darwinsim

Fascism's Hatred Of Religion 167

The model of "revolution by violence and terror" closely resembled the
terrorist methods of Lenin, which he would put into practice in Russia later on.
Actually, Mussolini had established a relationship with Lenin during those
years. According to his own later account, he met Lenin, who was in
Switzerland at that time, and even won his approval. 116 Mussolini emphasized
his loyalty to Marxism by saying, "Marx was the greatest of all theorists of
socialism" and frequently quoted from Marx in his writings. 117
One of the defining characteristics of the communist Mussolini was a
fanatical hatred of religion. Denis Mack Smith has this to say on the subject:
From his father he had learnt to be a thoroughgoing anti-clerical. He
proclaimed himself to be an atheist...He forcibly denounced those
socialists who thought religion a matter for individual conscience...
Christianity in particular [he said] was vitiated by preaching the
senseless virtues of resignation and cowardice, whereas the new
socialist morality should celebrate violence and rebellion. 118

It is important to make a careful estimation of Mussolini's state of mind
as set out here. As we have seen, he revealed his hatred of and total lack of
belief in God with open declaration of untruth about Him. As we shall soon
see, Mussolini felt the need to support the Church the entire time he was in
power, and so, sometimes portrayed himself as a religious man.
Furthermore, even during the years of his fanatical communism, he
tried to wear a mask of religion. While he produced fanatically anti-religious
writings and speeches in his own country, he invented a story about the depth
and firmness of his religious beliefs when writing for an Anglo-Saxon
audience. 119
Mussolini's hatred of religion and his communist militancy lasted
throughout the 1910s. In 1908, he wrote for the communist magazine La Lima
under a false name, and thus clashed with the weekly Il Giornale Ligure, the
publishing organ of the Catholics of Oneglia. The interesting thing is that after
Mussolini came to power, the collection of La Lima in the local library
disappeared mysteriously, because, after he came to power, he decided to use
religion for political ends, and concealed his true face, his hatred of religion. 120