Socialism and Christians - Removing The Fog of Religion

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Socialism and Christians

Q & A
Christian Socialism should be embraced?

Q: Why should Christians embrace socialism?  Didn't the first Church introduce socialism, when they all sold their goods and property and join together in a communal style of existence?  Look at many in the Democratic party who have openly embraced socialism and are also devoted Christians.  

A: No, they should not.  Yes, the first Church, several thousand new converts, did sell their goods and properties and join together for the good of the group, as a whole, to worship and to support others for teaching and preaching the Gospel message.  All true.  Later we see how this may have kick started this new testament way, but for those at Jerusalem, where this new way was centered, became a dismal failure.  Money and goods had to be collected form other out lying groups, even from some of the Gentile groups (churches) to take to the poor brethern living at Jerusalem in a communal state.  It was a failure as a Socialist state or Church, for the simple reason that none of those who participated and hung on to the first conversion excitment were working.  Of course the Jerusalem Church was forced to join the rest of humanity and return to the working and to earning a living to survive, but for some time they lived off of hand outs from other Christian groups.  Jerusalem's Chirsitan population must have down sized after the initial excitement.  And, of course, the first believers had the idea that the Kingdom was coming at any moment.  Sound familiar.  Does not make them wrong for being so excited about what they could see as the solution to world war and peace.  But, certain prejudices did spring from this.  

No matter the historical destruction of the Temple and then Jerusalem itself, the Jerusalem Church was a failure, having to be supported by others, not to mention that we can tell from the Book of Acts that the Jerusalem Church continued, or began to attend Synagogue meetings as they had always done, and seem to have blended into the Jewish religious fabric.  This is made clear by James, the lead Apostle of the Jerusalem Church, encouraging Paul, on a visit, to join in a strictly Jewish affair envolving a purification ritual that lasted for a week.  James talked Paul into joining in so as to shut the mouths of those Jewish brothers that were saying Paul was teaching the brethern to stop listening to the Law of Moses.    Poor Paul, this obliging attitude from Paul almost cost him his life.  He escaped, and never returned to Jerusalem again.  Read Acts chapter 21 for the whole story -- and you can see how it might look like Paul was ambushed, and by whom?  Notice, it says, the Jewish brethern were zealous for the Law, and, well, you begin to get a picture about what may have been going on.  Read Acts chapter 15 and you will see that the Elders mentioned are the same.  These are a people not yet cut loose from the Old Covenant, that would take the ultimate destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish nation before that would happen.  

Socialism is a failure.  It all sounds good on paper but in actual practice it fails.  The future, coming Kingdom of God, tells us clearly, that every person will sit, a peace, under his own vine - Micah 4:4 -- and this demonstrates private ownership in the Kingdom to come.  A simple principle is at work -- the person that will not work, will not eat -- 2 Thes 3:10.  There may be some situations, past, present or future where communal living may be necessary and beneficial.  The problem with a strict Socialism run by men and women, is that it is run by men and women.  The perfect dictator was born, then killed, and since then there has not been born such a perfect ruler.  Human greed and desire for authority drives some to great lengths for power and control, and that feeling of control over others.  There has not been one Communist regime that has not killed millions of its own people while trying to form that perfect government.  It never becomes a service governement but a master and slave government, run by imperfect humans.  
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