We Can Coexist: Christianity and Communism. By: Garron Daniels.

For many years I have heard the same arguments and I have seen the same division lines drawn up. I’ve heard that Christianity is nothing but Right-Wing Evangelicals and I’ve heard that Communism is only for atheists. But the fact of the matter is that both of these statements are wrong. Christianity and Communism are not opposite. They are ideas that don’t have to be opposites. In reality, the two can coincide and exist with one another. I should know, because I myself am an Anglo-Catholic and a Marxist Leninist. I’ll explain how the two are not opposites by using several examples of Biblical texts and scripture and also with the writings of Karl Marx.

Communism and Marxist theory in itself isn’t necessarily against religion. Most of those who think this have taken a small, and really out of context, quote from Karl Marx. The quote that comes to mind is, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”[1] What Marx was basically getting at is that religion can and has been used to distract people from the issues at hand. It can distract in a way that makes people blind to the oppression and destruction of the working class around them. This naturally would cause any revolution to not happen. But the thing is, this was a very small point he had made; he also at one point went on saying how he understands why religion is important to some. But this isn’t a required belief to be a communist or marxist. It is only briefly mentioned in his writing. And just like anything else Marx wrote or any philosopher for that matter, you don’t have to believe in every single word that he writes. There are different interpretations you can take and parts you can leave out without damaging the main ideas of Marx. We see this in the fact that there are several different structures and interpretations of Marx through Lenin, Mao, Stalin, Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh, and many other Communist leaders. They all had their different takes on Marxist theory. Therefore, you’re own beliefs in Marxism and the push for it doesn’t have to exclude religion, specifically in this case Christianity. Because the truth is, Christianity coincides in a lot of the ideas Marx and others were pushing for. 

Before I get into bits and pieces of scripture, it’s worth stating that Christianity has had a history of revolutionists, socialists, and socialist type movements under it. A quick Google search will lead you to find a lot of this. One of the biggest examples that sticks out is the Social Gospel Movement. The Social Gospel movement took place from 1870 to 1920, where Protestants across America “interpreted the kingdom of God as requiring social as well as individual salvation and sought the betterment of industrialized society through application of the biblical principles of charity and justice.”[2] This movement took part in the labor movement and industrialization of America, which naturally drew many socialist christians to fight for changes. 

Not only this, but there are many famous Christian socialists. One of the most notable being Dorothy Day, a known communist sympathizer and devout catholic who co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement. She was even quoted once saying “It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.”[3] Besides her, we can’t forget that the Industrial Workers of the World was co-founded by a Catholic Priest. Yes, you heard that right! Father Thomas J. Hagerty was one of the co-founders of the Wobblies and was a devout Catholic Priest. There were dozens if not hundreds of known Christians who were part of the left, many who were ministers and ran on different Socialist or Communist party presidential tickets. So as we can see, there is most certainly a history of communists and socialists being Christians. But if this isn’t enough to convince you that the two can relate, then why not simply look at the Bible?

The Bible itself can be interpreted in hundreds if not thousands of ways, but there are some scripture passages that easily point out the issue of hoarding riches; much of what modern day capitalism is all about. One of the first and most well known verses comes from the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 19:16-24 we get the story of a rich man coming to Jesus asking what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus, naturally asks if he has kept hold of the commandments and proceeds to name a few. The young man says yes, but asks what he still lacks. Jesus then informs him he must sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. The young man, upset over this, leaves Jesus and Jesus is then quoted in verse 23 and 24 in saying, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’”[4] It’s clear that Jesus wasn’t a fan of people hoarding riches or putting wealth above the wellbeing of others, which is naturally what capitalism does. Capitalism hordes riches and keeps a very small percentage of people happy and rich. But Jesus makes it clear that holding onto riches and worshiping it like a God will not let you into the kingdom of heaven. 

This is further backed up by the Gospel of Luke where Jesus gives a parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21. This parable again tells of a man who hoards his wealth and riches. But what good will that do when dies? What then? Would it really be worth it to horde and worry about riches for most of your life just to die and not be able to do anything about it? Jesus sternly says to “guard against all kinds of greed”[5] in verse 15. What better way to guard against this then to fight the very thing that causes it. This “free market” system that benefits the richest of man is something both christians and communists should agree is problematic. 

These are just a few examples from the Bible. But simply flipping though you will find story after story of caring for the poor and the needy. So many stories warn to not succumb to riches and greed. Even in the Old Testament you see similar stories of those in power and those that are rich, harming the masses. The most well known example being found in the Book of Exodus where Moses leads his people out of the land that has enslaved his people. An enslavement that was benefiting the elites of society. And in the New Testament there is an entire Epistle of James that I personally believe condemns capitalism all together (I’ll write more on this another time, so be on the lookout for that). It doesn’t really take much searching to realize how anti-capitalist the Bible really is. Open it up sometime, and you will see it for yourself. 

Overall, we can see in a small glimpse that Christians and Communists don’t have to be separate because their beliefs are not that different from each other. It’s okay to be both a Christian and Communist. Looking into the two a little deeper, anyone can see that they can coexist, and really should coexist. There is even a growing number of leftist organizations who recognize this; both Communist Party USA and Democratic Socialists of America have Religious commissions and committees that do some phenomenal work. So don’t be afraid to embrace both identities. Stop letting Communist isolate religion and stop letting the Right hold religion hostage. Let the two coincide with another. Speaking from someone who has dealt with the same situation, it’s well worth it.



Citations


[1] Marx, K. Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. Collected Works, v. 3. New York, 1976.

[2] The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Social Gospel. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/Social-Gospel

[3] From Union Square to Rome (1938)

[4]  Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. New Revised Standard Version Bible, 1989.

[5] Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. New Revised Standard Version Bible, 1989.

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About the Author:
​My name is Garron Daniels. I am a Marxist Leninist from Northwest Missouri. I have previously worked with Students for a Democratic Society, Socialist Rifle Association, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. I am also a member of the Industrial Workers of the World and of the Religious Commission of the Communist Party USA. I have a B.S. Degree in Justice Systems from Truman State University and am currently obtaining my Masters in Divinity at the University of the South: School of Theology where I am a Postulant for the Holy Orders of the Episcopal Church.