Foreword by Maxime Rodinson -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Note on Transliteration -- PART ONE: THE THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE MARXIST-LENINIST APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION -- 1. The Classical Marxist Critique of Religion -- 2. The Marxist-Leninist Critique of Religion -- PART TWO: 'SCIENTIFICAL ATHEISM' AND THE STUDY OF RELIGION AND ATHEISM IN THE USSR -- 3. Prolegomena: The Programme of 'Scientific Atheism' -- 4. The Contemporary 'Scientific Atheist' Critique of Religion -- 5. The History of Religion -- 6. The History of Atheism, Free-Thinking and Humanism -- 7. 'Scientific Atheism' and the 'Concrete' Sociological Study of Religion and Atheism in the USSR -- PART THREE: CRITIQUE OF THE MARXIST-LENINIST APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION -- 8. The Marxist-Leninist Understanding of Religion -- 9. Marxist-Leninist 'Scientific Atheism' as the Science of Religion -- 10. Conclusion -- Appendices -- I. The 1954 and 1963 resolutions of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: 'On errors in the conduct of scientific and atheist propaganda among the populace' and on 'elimination of survivals of capitalism in the minds and behaviour of people' -- II. Content of courses in 'scientific atheism' -- III. S. A. Tokarev on the history of religion -- IV. Bibliographical survey of Soviet work relating to Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Index.