Socialism, Marxism and Communism are ideologies that inevitably create more poverty, homelessness and despair than we could ever image while living under Capitalism. Which is ironic, because the entire premise of these ideas is that it's more humane than living under a capitalist system.
I can appreciate the sentiment of wanting to eliminate poverty and world hunger, trust me, It pains my heart to see people living on the streets, but socialism is counter initiative to human rights.
Karl Marx, the man who wrote the Communist Manifesto, was not only a philosopher but a revolutionary socialist. Did I mention he was also broke? I suppose it should have been a warning sign that a broke socialist was criticising capitalism, but I digress.
Marx never acquired a regular occupation or a dependable means of livelihood. He was bankrupt, always in debt and with half of his household goods stored away at the pawnshop. In fact, the co-author of the Communist Manifesto, Friedrich Engels, would give Marx thousands upon thousands of dollars, which would inevitably "melt away in his fingers like snow". (See The Naked Communist, page 38-42)
Marx was also an athiest who believed religion was the opium of the people, a sigh of the oppressed creature and the heart of a heartless world.
It's no wonder why you'll be pressed to find a socialist/Marxist who follows Jesus. Interestingly enough, if they DID follow Jesus as opposed to the writings of Marx, they wouldn't be socialists at all!
So for this post, I'd like to explore one section of The Bible, which succinctly explains why Marx "hated all Gods" and to help us understand why communist societies (like the Chinese government) do not allow religious freedom and persecute those who hold beliefs that challenge the communist party agenda.
Warning Against Idleness 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us."
- I think it's reasonable to say that we're are all products of our environment. Some might be more susceptible to influence than others, but generally speaking, the more time we spend with positive and ambitious people, the more we'll begin to mirror their behavior. Likewise, if we're always around drunk, lazy, party animals, there's a high likelihood we'll become a sloppy degenerate. Proverbs 13:20 explains this perfectly: "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."
"For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you."
- Why do you think doctors recommend exercise or learning a new skill to help combat depression? And why do some people choose to hang outside liquor or convenience stores for hours at a time? It's because they lack purpose. When depression begins to take hold of your mind, its harder to fight it off when you don't have something productive to focus on. Likewise, we can assume those who stand idle on street corners all day are probably up to no good. I know the typical response to this something to the effect of "well, maybe their poor! Maybe their homeless!". This part of scripture explains the importance of working for your food because it helps encourage perseverance and duty, which you wont learn by always expecting others to help you.
"It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate."
- There's a famous quote that goes: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This concept is lost on many social justice ideologues when they infantilize the very people they're trying to help. If we're capable of achieving something positive in our lives, then the next rational step should be to lead by example as opposed to treating others like victims.
"For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living."
- Think of all the angry 'online activists' who spend their entire day online trying to "cancel" or shame a stranger for something they thought was wrong. These people are called busybodies. They waste all their time meddling into the affairs of others to "hold them accountable", instead of taking necessary steps to lead by example.
Additionally, there's a huge difference between not being ABLE to work, versus not WILLING. For those who are truly incapable of working (though, I believe that number is much smaller than people think) God commands us to be generous, kind and forgiving. But he also commands us to build others up according to their needs (Ephesians 4:29) and sometimes people NEED encouragement so they can be inspired to practice self control, perseverance and discipline.
"As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good."
- Pretty self explanatory.
In case you haven't figured it out, God is NOT compatable with socialisim, and the Bible has an abundance of other sections that can be used to challenge marxisim, communism and social justice ideas (gender theory, anti-racism, etc.), which ironically, are all forms of religion in their own right.
Therefore, the world should be very cautious to not blindly condemn religion as "a cult" without fully understanding what that particular belief system teaches. It's becoming more common for Americans in particular to write off the Christian Doctrine because, for most people, it's extremely difficult to believe in something they don't see or recognize it's importance when it challenges the very nature of their own beliefs.
But If we're not careful, we're going to end up living in a society that normalizes hostility, bitterness and prejudice as opposed to kindness, forgiveness and love. I can assure you that while the world won't ever be perfect, following Karl Marx will certainly make it worse.
