CHAPTER 9

Communism

In 1917 a Communist government was established in Russia, under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky.  Following that, Communist Russia became a fearsome world power with abundant nuclear weapons.  Numerous other nations have fallen to Communist rule. What is Communism? What is the philosophy behind it? How does it differ from the doctrines of Christianity as taught in God’s Holy Word, the Bible?

Before answering these questions, we need to understand how murderous Communism has been.  Normally when we think of a murderous regime of the 20th century, we think of Hitler and the Nazis, and the murder of six million Jews.  As terrible as this was, six million is a small number compared with the victims of Communism totaling almost 100 million.  Here is the breakdown:

 [This information is taken from the article The Black Book of Red Blood  by Jeremiah Reedy, The Schwarz Report, November 2003, p.6,  www.schwarzreport.org]

Let us now consider the philosophy and the teachings which are the foundation of such a murderous movement.

The Ten Tottering Pillars of Communism

1) Communism Denies the Existence of God.

Atheism is at the very heart of Communism. The word "atheism" comes from two Greek words: a meaning "no" and theos meaning "God." An atheist, therefore, is one who says that there is "no God."  He denies the very existence of God. According to Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 what is another word that accurately describes an atheist?  F______________  The denial of the existence of God is the foundation upon which the entire philosophy of Communism is based.

Khrushchev, a former Russian Premier, frequently asked on television and radio whether Soviet cosmonauts had seen God in their space flights around the earth. When they dutifully replied that they had not, Khrushchev would turn to his audience and say something like this, "There’s your proof.  There is no God!  Our spacemen never saw God!"  Of course, if they had really wanted to see God, they could have easily done so. They could have simply jumped out of their spacecraft without their spacesuit or oxygen supply, and in a matter of moments they would have seen their Creator!

There is a much better way to see God! If a person really wants to see God (the Father), where should he look (John 14:9)? _______________________________ If a person really wants to come to know the living God, what should he do (John 8:19)? __________________________________________ How can we see and know Him (John 5:39; Luke 24:27,44)? ______________________________________________________________
 

2) Communism is a Religion Based Upon the Worship of Man.

In January 1978 the National Geographic magazine had an article on Moscow which made this interesting comment:

One day a Russian friend cautioned me: "You can joke about many things here, but not about World War II, when we lost so many, and not about Lenin. Lenin is not just our George Washington, he is like our George Washington and our Jesus Christ.

The image of the father of the revolution appears everywhere, in offices and schools, inside and outside buildings, in parks and railway stations. His red granite tomb, in Red Square close by the Kremlin wall, has become for many Russians what Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulcher was to medieval Europeans: a sacred place of pilgrimage. (The great difference is that Lenin’s tomb is occupied and Christ’s tomb is vacant!)

Yes, Communism is a religion, even though the Communists would try to deny this! As David Benson has written:

If we disregard its atheism for a moment, Communism has all the trappings of an organized religion: its messiahs and saints—Marx, Engels and Lenin; its sacred scriptures—the writings of these men; a band of apostles and prophets—the Communist Party; an elect nation—the Russian (or Chinese) people; sin—defined as rejecting Communism; conversion—becoming a communist; and above all faith—that complete trust one must have in the truth of Communism’s holy dogmas.

All men, including Communists, are basically religious. If the void in men’s hearts is not filled with the living God, then some kind of false religion must be substituted in its place. Who occupies the throne of your heart? Whom do you worship (Matthew 4:10)?
 

3) Communism Teaches that Matter is Eternal.

Since they deny God, the Communists also deny that there is a Creator. If nothing has ever been created, then matter must be eternal. This is a materialistic philosophy that is totally contrary to reality and truth.

Materialism is a dangerous, deceitful, dismal, deadly and doomed philosophy.  It is a philosophy that has flooded the United States.  It teaches that man is an electrochemical machine and nothing more.  Man is made up of blood, bones, brain, etc.  He is just a body and nothing more.  According to this philosophy, there is no soul, no spirit, no immaterial part of man.  Everything is material, physical and chemical.  Everything is matter and matter is everything!  Man is nothing more than a bundle of atoms, a collection of molecules.

This hopeless view is stated as follows:

This paragraph affirms that man is nothing more than a body, and when the body dies, it is all over.  Death ends all.   In this view, no one made me; I just evolved.  I am no more important than a sparrow or a worm or a slug or a rock or a piece of dust.

If Communism is true, then there is no purpose to my existence.  There is no real reason or purpose as to why I am here.  My life is as meaningless as a water molecule floating around in the Atlantic Ocean.  In this view, there is no hope; there is nothing beyond the grave.  If the body is all that there is and if the body is dead, then there is no future to look forward to.  Materialism denies the soul, denies heaven and denies hell.

The materialistic philosophy is refuted on every page of the Bible.  It is refuted with every mention of God.  God is immaterial.  God is not made up of atoms or molecules.  God is totally separate and distinct from that which He created. 

According to Psalm 90:2, is matter (the mountains, the earth, etc.) eternal? Who is eternal? _________________  Creation had a beginning but God had no beginning.  The first verse of the Communist Bible (if they ever had one) should read like this: "In the beginning was matter!"  How does the Holy Bible begin? _____________________________________________ (See also John 1:1-2.)

Communism teaches that man is nothing more than matter and that he does not possess an eternal soul. What does God say (Matthew 10: 28)?   ______________________________________________________________________________   Are we just a body or are we more than a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23)? _____________________________________________  Does death end all or is there something after death (Hebrews 9:27)?  ___________________________________________________   How does Ecclesiastes 12:7 refute materialism? ____________________________________________________ 
 

4) Communism is Based Upon the Theory of Evolution.

The early leaders of Communism (such as Marx, Engels and Stalin) were greatly influenced by the father of the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin. They carefully studied Darwin’s writings and they delighted in what they read. Darwin’s theory became the foundation of Communist thought. Communism says that man is but the highest beast (an animal!). Though he is king of the forest (the most advanced animal in the world), he is no better in essence than all his fellow beasts.

What does Romans 1:22-25 tell us about those who reject the Creator?   _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

The theory of evolution exalts man (as the most advanced beast!), has no place for God the Creator, and teaches that the world is progressing and evolving and getting better and better!
 

5) Communism Blames Society for Man’s Ills.

Communists believe that sin is caused by society. If there were a perfect society, there would be no more sin. They say that the evil a man does is just a reflection of his environment. Marx, for example, taught that the only way a man could be improved or changed would be to change or eliminate the evil-producing elements in his environment.

Thus, Communism teaches that man’s basic problem is with society and not with man. This erroneous teaching says, "Change the individual by first changing society." Christianity says, "Change society by first changing the individual." According to the Lord Jesus Christ, is the real problem an external one or an internal one (Mark 7:21-23)? _______________________

In Revelation chapter 20 we read about a future time when men will enjoy a perfect environment and a perfect society for 1000 years. Will this perfect society eliminate sin (Revelation 20:7-9)? ___________  Man’s most basic problem (see Jeremiah 17:9) is a problem that cannot be cured even by the best possible environment.  The heart of man is desperately evil (incurable sick).
 

6) Communism Believes That Man Himself Can Bring in the Utopia.

Communism is making every effort to create the ideal community and the perfect society. When the entire world is ruled by Communism, then paradise will have arrived and the earth will be truly blessed (so they think!). They feel that man himself can bring in this "kingdom" age.

Marx taught that once the material needs of man were satisfied, greed, profit–taking and hate would disappear. The State would wither away. There would be no laws or need for a police force. A heaven on earth would result. Man’s nature would be magically transformed. Each would work according to his ability. Each would desire to receive only according to his needs (the Communists have a slogan which says, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need").

This is a nice dream, but totally unrealistic and contrary to the basic nature of man. There was once a college professor who taught a class filled with students who were pro-Communist (supportive of Communism). One day instead of continuing their heated arguments, the professor said, "I want everybody to write an essay. I will assign the topic which is this: From Each According to his Ability, To Each According to his Need." The students were pleased with this topic because this is the classic position of socialism (which is one step away from Communism). According to socialism, everybody works and puts into a common storehouse what he produces and then draws out only what he needs.

The students went to do their papers and when they turned them in, one young girl in the class had done an exceptionally fine job. She researched the topic, footnoted it, documented it, and typed it up beautifully. The professor took the papers home, read through them all, and gave her a C-plus. When she saw her grade, she was furious. She rushed up and demanded to know why she had a C-plus. "After all," she said, "this is my favorite topic. I did a great deal of work on this paper, and I was sure I would receive a better grade."

The professor smiled and suggested that she calm down just a minute. Then he explained. He said, "You know that fellow who sits over there by the window? I think he plays football. He didn’t really do very well on this paper; in fact, he earned an F. So what I did was take some of your credits and I gave you each a C-plus. You know--"from each according to his ability, to each according to his need."   Do you think she was pleased to hear this?

Socialism may sound great on paper or as a theory, but in the world of reality it just does not work. There will be a Kingdom Age upon this earth, with a perfect environment and a perfect government, but it will not be a kingdom established and ruled by Communists. Who will establish this Kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14; Rev. 11:15)?  __________________________
 

7) Communism Promotes the Philosophy That the End Justifies the Means.

What is right? What is wrong? What is sinful conduct? For the Christian, something is wrong if it is contrary to the commandments of God. The Bible says, "Sin is the __________________________ of the __________" (1 John 3:4 which could also be translated, "sin is lawlessness" or "sin is violation of the law"). Thus, the believer in Christ knows that such things as lying, stealing, murder, adultery, etc. are always wrong and sinful because God has commanded us not to do such things (in The Ten Commandments and elsewhere).

For Communists, there are no moral absolutes. Since they deny the existence of God, they have no interest in the commandments of God. For them, something is sinful if it hinders the cause of Communism and something is right if it advances the Communist cause. Even lying, cheating, stealing and murder are perfectly moral and right if these things help to bring about victory for Communism. Is lying wrong? Not if it is done for a good cause. Lenin once said, "Promises are like pie-crusts—made to be broken."  If a lie is in the best interests of Communism, then it would be morally right to lie (according to their way of thinking).

Communists believe that the end justifies the means. The "end" which they are striving for is the worldwide advancement of Communism. To reach this "end" or goal, they will use any means whatsoever, including lying, cheating and even murder. Many millions of people have been brutally put to death by Communists to help the cause of Communism and to get rid of undesirable people, as documented at the beginning of this chapter!

The Communist slogan is found in Romans 3:8: "Let us do __________, that good may come!" According to them, the "good" is anything that will help to spread and establish Communism in the world. "Let us lie, that Communism will be advanced!" "Let us murder, that Communism will be advanced!" "Let us invade this country and kill thousand of innocent men, women and children, that Communism will be advanced!" To these people God says, "whose damnation (judgment) is just" (Romans 3:8). These people deserve judgment and they are going to get it!

The end does not justify the means! It is never right to do wrong in order to do right. Consider the following thinking of a high school student: "I’m going to cheat on these tests so that I can get into a good college and eventually get into a medical school and become a doctor. I will then help to save the lives of those who are desperately sick!" Or, the thoughts of a penniless mother, "I’m going to steal some bread so that I can feed my starving family." Certainly it is not wrong to go to medical school and become a doctor who will help suffering humanity. Surely it is not wrong to feed a starving family in time of great need.  However, according to God's unchanging Word, it is always wrong to cheat and steal! Shall we do evil that good may come? What should the Christian answer be?
 

8) Communism Has as its Goal the Conquest of the World.

The goal of the Communists is to have the whole world under Communism. They want to conquer planet earth and to do so they are willing to exterminate any who will stand in their way, especially Christians and Jews (because these are the ones who stand for the God whom they deny). If mass murder will help their cause, then they will not hesitate to do so, and they have already done so in the past.

The Communist leaders are waiting for the day when they can say, "The earth belongs to the Communists.’" Will they ever be able to say this (Psalm 24:1)?   _______
 

9) Communism Enslaves the Individual and Takes Away his Freedoms.

The first ten amendments in the Constitution of the United States (commonly called "The Bill of Rights") were designed to protect the rights of the people in this free nation. Americans are blessed with the following rights (to name just a few):

1. The freedom of religion (to worship according to the dictates of one’s conscience)
2. The freedom of speech
3. The freedom of the press
4. The freedom to own property
5. The freedom to keep and bear arms (to protect life and property)
6. The freedom to have a fair and impartial trial by jury
7. The freedom to vote and take part in the governmental process by means of free elections.

Communism enslaves the individual and takes away his freedoms. In Communist countries lands, factories and resources belong to the government.  In most Communist countries there is little freedom of religion.  Those who seek to worship God and read the Bible are often persecuted, sent to concentration camps or even murdered. Missionaries often find a closed door and the preaching of the gospel is forbidden. The press and the news media are controlled by the government to indoctrinate the minds of the people. The schools are totally controlled by the government and the students are continually brainwashed by Communist propaganda. If people are allowed to vote in Communist lands (which often they are not), they are told who to vote for (often only one name is on the ballot). They usually do not have free elections. People work, but they are not always able to keep the fruits of their labor. It is a system that is opposed to personal freedoms.

There are many stories and accounts of people fleeing from Communist lands so that they can live in free countries. Very rarely do we find people trying to get into Communist lands. Fences are put around Communist borders, not to keep people out, but to keep people in! Have we thanked God for the freedoms we still enjoy in this country? Do we pray for our country that we might continue to enjoy these freedoms and that the Word of God might continue to be preached (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4)?
 

10) Communism is Thoroughly Anti-Christian.

Christianity and Communism are diametrically opposed to one another. Please MATCH the correct verse with the following statements:

Communism denies God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, according to 1 John 2:22, what can you say about Communism? ______________________________________________________________________________________

As we have briefly considered Communism, we must remember that we are to hate (abhor) the evils of Communism (Romans 12:9), but we are to love the Communist people, the ones for whom Christ died. Does John 3:16 say, "For God so loved the non-Communist world..."? _____  Remember, the real enemy is not the people who are part of this anti-Christian system. Behind it all there is someone far greater than Marx, Lenin or any of the Communist leaders (see Ephesians 6:11-12). May we never forget who the real Adversary and Enemy is (1 Peter 5:8). May we rejoice in the One who is infinitely greater (1 John 4:4)!

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