Two similarities from Soviet Afghanistan and South Vietnam

As a former Roman Catholic and now as an Atheist it pains me to mention this online or anywhere. Still I love history and facts. I would like to share what I have found out that was similar about these two figures. Maybe I'm the only one who is interested in this and yet it happens so much today it's crazy!
South Vietnam and Tradiotnal Buddhism
Buddhist were the majority as well Buddhism held high tradition in Vietnam. Since Ngo Dinh Diem was a corrupt leader of South Vietnam. He used his faith as a way to ban many Buddhist practices of Buddhism and kill anyone that went against the law. The U.S. put this evil man and his family in power and it shows that we had a bad start in Vietnam.
PDPA Article

Once in power, the PDPA implemented a socialist agenda. It moved to promote state atheism. Men were obliged to cut beards, women were banned from wearing the burqa, and mosques were placed off limits.

Now the same with South Vietnam. Another country (the Soviet Union) supports a leader with different politics and religious beliefs. In Afghanistan Islam was consider against the government and state wide Atheism was put into effect.

I could of put this thread in better words. Yet I wanted to share what I have been interested in for the last few days. Maybe you can agree with me on this topic. Maybe not!

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


The commies have a policy of enforcing atheism in their nations, the same with China now. Though I believe that as people become more aware and less naive the beliefs of christianity, islam, you know, all the mainstream babble; that this will give way to a more individual form of religious belief in due time, akin to individual philosophy. So having said that, i don't believe enforcing atheism is a good thing. Nor enforcing any belief either.


I'm mostly atheist by the way, not too keen on some deity creating us.

when I saw the thread title, I thought you were going to mention how the USA just "happened" to invade, or occupy for a supposed war, when in reallity we were there for the resources. Vietnam = rubber and oil, Afghanistan = that trillion dollar mineral deposit they found.

Simply put, Soviet political philosophy saw religion has a means of imperialist subversion and control over ordinary people. They also saw it as just plain baseless and counter-productive. While it's not exactly right to force people into having specific beliefs, the Soviets decided on leading through science and will, not money and faith.