Robyn Lebron elief a coherent belief system for imposing symbolic meaning on the external world with an emphasis on security through purity; an intolerance of other ideologies of the same type; the belief that the ideology is natural or obvious so that those who reject it are in some way “blind” or stupid; a genuine desire on the part of individuals to convert others to the cause; a willingness to place ends over means, in particular, a willingness to use violence and fraud; fatalism—a belief that the ideology will inevitably triumph in the end But that’s where the similarities end.26 Suppression of Religious Beliefs: Political religions vie with existing theistic religions and try, if possible, to replace or eradicate them Religious commentary or thought is criticized or banned Loyalty to other entities, such as a church or a deity, is often seen to interfere with loyalty to the political religion As a result, some or all religious sects are either suppressed or banned An existing sect may be converted into a state religion, but dogma and personnel may be modified to suit the needs of the party or state Where there is suppression of religious institutions and beliefs, this might be explicitly accompanied by atheistic doctrine Loyalty to the state or political party and acceptance of the government/party ideology is paramount Dissenters may be expelled, ostracized, discriminated against, imprisoned, “reeducated,” or killed Enforcements range from ostracism from one’s neighbors to execution The political religion often helps maintain its power base by instilling fear of some kind in the population For example, North Korea holds frequent air raid drills to emphasize the possibility of imminent invasion In China, the government emphasizes the danger of instability The Stalinists maintained a state of panic by claiming that Trotskyist conspirators were sabotaging the Soviet Union In Germany, the Reichstag fire, blamed on communists, provided an opportunity for Adolf Hitler to declare a state of emergency 27