The Thirst for Freedom

I just posted a comment on Ray Comfort’s blog. Interestingly, Ray’s post was actually about hell and Fidel Castro. Somehow the comments have been discussion many other things, including Communism.

One commenter asserted that Jesus’ teachings were consistent with Communism. I asserted that they were not. He pointed out that I must not have read the Communist Manifesto. I pointed out that indeed I have read it and questioned whether or not he actually had!

So, there are a zillion comments, probably more than you want to read through, but here is mine:

Response to David W. Irish:

Yep. I’ve read the Communist Manifesto.

“The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”

“And the abolition of this state of things is called by the bourgeois, abolition of individuality and freedom! And rightly so. The abolition of bourgeois individuality, bourgeois independence, and bourgeois freedom is undoubtedly aimed at.”

“…at the most, what the Communists might possibly be reproached with is that they desire to introduce, in substitution for a hypocritically concealed, an openly legalized system of free love.”

“The proletariat will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degree, all capital from the bourgeoisie, to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state.”

“The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.”

“Forcible overthrow”? How is that a “a society of mutual cooperation with each other” as you (commenter David) stated?

Those are all quotes from the Communist Manifesto. It’s author may have been deluded into thinking this would create a “leaderless society” but it can NEVER work. I am asserting that BY THE BOOK Communism will never work. It was not a good idea.

Jesus ideas of laying down life for friends, loving neighbors, etc. will work if done “by the book.”

But it all has to start with the transformation of the individual. A giant “state” collective will fail. A giant “church” collective (as in your assertions about the “Catholic” church) will also fail. When individuals realize their lostness and get transformed by Jesus, it will flow from the individual upward, until the State even tends to reflect godly values.

Hey… Wait a minute… I thought this was a post about Hell?

ThirstyJon

You can read Ray’s post and the extensive comments here: http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2008/02/fidel-castro-and-hell.html