Stalin was an atheist extremist.

It is often said that "there are no atheist extremists," however Stalin clearly proves this wrong.

for example: http://i.imgur.com/AZgdoJp.png

Now, the common defense is to say that Stalin did many of the horrible things he did independently from his atheism. I agree. Clearly many political purges and repressions were motivated by raw desire for power, misguided geo-political ambitions and, perhaps, psychopathy.

However, some of his episodes were clearly (anti) religious in nature.

This is the most relevant episode:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USSR_anti-religious_campaign_%281928%E2%80%9341%29

During this anti-religious campaign "nearly all of its clergy, and many of its believers, were shot or sent to labour camps. Theological schools were closed, and church publications were prohibited."

This was accompanied by a lot of atheistic, anti-religious propaganda:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USSR_anti-religious_campaign_%281928%E2%80%9341%29#Antireligious_propaganda

A magazine "Bezbozhnik" (A Godless Man) was published that branded clergy as vermin/scum. A "League of the Militant Godless" was established to violently oppose religion. etc. etc...

This only stopped during WW2 when Stalin chose to use religion as a pragmatic tool for army recruitment / morale.

These are clearly actions of a man who a virulent, extremist atheist and anti-theist.