CarolC, the Soviet Union never officially "banned" religion. You seem very ignorant about state religions, for one who is shooting off their mouth about something they so clearly know nothing about. So, if you care to know, the 1918 Constitution, Sec. 2, Chapter IX, Article 13 stated:

"13. In order to secure for the laboring masses genuine freedom of conscience, the church is separated from the state and the school from the church, and freedom of religious and anti- religious propaganda is acknowledged to be the right of all citizens."

You are simply trying to weasel your way out of looking wrong, IMO.

And as to the statement "The US has a secular government. Because there is no established religion or lack of religion, it is not a secular nation. It's a nation that has freedom of and/or from religion."

Well! All I can say to THAT is, spoken like a true ignoramus who chooses to remain one. The nation is the state. There is no official state religion. That means the nation, along with it's state government, is secular as reasonably defined by functional literates around the globe.

But hey, if you want to stick with the fundie Christian definition of a secular state, and a Christian nation, you go right ahead. It's your credibility, or I should say lack thereof, that is on the line by sticking with the Xtian fundie definition, not mine.