As I said above- Stalin persecuted specific religious groups. The Russian Orthodox Church continued without abuse. Yes, atheism was promoted, but it was the non-Orthodox Christians that got persecuted.
As for Mao, same thing. Buddhists were allowed to continue practicing Buddhism under Mao. Mao just used Buddhism (and China still does) as a tool to wield power through government control. Again, it’s the people who do not practice this form of Buddhism that are persecuted.
As I said above- Stalin persecuted specific religious groups. The Russian Orthodox Church continued without abuse. Yes, atheism was promoted, but it was the non-Orthodox Christians that got persecuted.
As for Mao, same thing. Buddhists were allowed to continue practicing Buddhism under Mao. Mao just used Buddhism (and China still does) as a tool to wield power through government control. Again, it’s the people who do not practice this form of Buddhism that are persecuted.