"A textbook, Foundation of Scientific Atheism, defined atheism as: 'a system of materialistic scientifically based views, rejecting any faith in god (or gods), in supernatural powers and any religion whatsoever...Atheism...is one of the essential and most important aspects of materialistic philosophy.' Religion in the same book is described as 'a form of social consciousness... a perverse, fantastic reflection of reality in the consciousness of men'. This, of course, is straight out of Engels. All religious philosophy is described as a class philosophy. Hence Plato, for instance, is said to 'represent the interest of the slave-owning aristocracy'. But then it has to be shown that atheism, has always been a major school of thought wherefore moralists, such as Lao-Tse, and pantheists, such as Spinoza are presented, or rather misrepresented, as atheists."