What Is the Character of Contemporary Atheism?

I think one of the lessons of the Eastern and Western experiences of atheism in the 20th century is that communism tried much harder than anyone in the capitalist world ever did to exterminate Christianity. But capitalism actually did the job much more effectively. We can afford to relax and let it die a natural death as long as it is kept in a politically controlled place in the meantime. And this is what you see in much of the Soviet bloc. And of course, it doesn't work terribly well. Poland is the most obvious example of where in fact the churches become a real locus of – I say the church is one church in particular – becomes a real Locus of resistance against communism.