An eloquent and scholarly analysis of the common ground that both Christianity and Communism stand on. The existence of numerous parallels suggests that there may be a common organizing principle underlying both ideologies. Is this altruism? The near-universal acceptance of altruism as a fundamental moral principle remains a puzzle to me.
Just as there is six degrees of separation between people, I tend to think there is six degrees of separation between ideologies. If you're an outside looking in, it's easy to find similarities. One could make an argument that Objectivism and communism are similar because of a blank slate view of human nature, atheism, and materialism (I don't know of a worked-out theory of the mind/body issue so one could argue that Objectivism is a kind of dualism).
I have always thought of Christianity and Communism as being more alike then different. They are both entirely humanistic and opposed to nature, they both tend to turn their most ardent practitioners into blazing hypocrites, and they both share the mistaken assumption that men can learn to love their fellow man as themselves, something totally at odds with nature. Hence both Christianity and Communism have had to compromise with capitalism and greed in order to thrive.
In religion there is a phenomenon known as “parallelomania.” You can for example find parallels between the religion in f Australian Aborigines and all sorts of groups when it was impossible for there to be causation for geographical reasons.
Context on the "opium of the masses" line: many people took opium for medicinal purposes in the 1840s, including Marx (it was also known as Laudenaum). Marx chided anarchists like Bakunin for making atheism a cornerstone of their politics.
Yes. Saying that religion was the opium of the masses was a clever comment. Because opium provided short term, but not long term, relief. As, according to Marx, did religion. But, as we may infer from this essay, Marx's approach was, in fact, itself rather more akin to religion than he might have cared to admit.
Once again, an excellent essay, Brad! I look forward to the colorful comments that will follow!
Keep it coming!👍 👍
An eloquent and scholarly analysis of the common ground that both Christianity and Communism stand on. The existence of numerous parallels suggests that there may be a common organizing principle underlying both ideologies. Is this altruism? The near-universal acceptance of altruism as a fundamental moral principle remains a puzzle to me.
Just as there is six degrees of separation between people, I tend to think there is six degrees of separation between ideologies. If you're an outside looking in, it's easy to find similarities. One could make an argument that Objectivism and communism are similar because of a blank slate view of human nature, atheism, and materialism (I don't know of a worked-out theory of the mind/body issue so one could argue that Objectivism is a kind of dualism).
I've done a comparison between Objectivism (at least in its ARI form) and religion:
https://aynrandcontrahumannature.blogspot.com/2024/08/neil-parille-revisits-question-is.html
So Marx was no more than a weird old wimp.
I was not Marx-familiar, but am still very Catholic-familiar.
The similarities are striking - and chilling.
See what I’ve written above. You can find parallels between all sorts of ideologies
And yet Marxism promotes sexual freedom, while Christianity represses human sexuality. This is an important difference between the two world views.
I have always thought of Christianity and Communism as being more alike then different. They are both entirely humanistic and opposed to nature, they both tend to turn their most ardent practitioners into blazing hypocrites, and they both share the mistaken assumption that men can learn to love their fellow man as themselves, something totally at odds with nature. Hence both Christianity and Communism have had to compromise with capitalism and greed in order to thrive.
In religion there is a phenomenon known as “parallelomania.” You can for example find parallels between the religion in f Australian Aborigines and all sorts of groups when it was impossible for there to be causation for geographical reasons.
"The Christian convert to communism swaps the resurrection for insurrection."
nice!
Context on the "opium of the masses" line: many people took opium for medicinal purposes in the 1840s, including Marx (it was also known as Laudenaum). Marx chided anarchists like Bakunin for making atheism a cornerstone of their politics.
Yes. Saying that religion was the opium of the masses was a clever comment. Because opium provided short term, but not long term, relief. As, according to Marx, did religion. But, as we may infer from this essay, Marx's approach was, in fact, itself rather more akin to religion than he might have cared to admit.
You quoted Engels stating the labor movement had much in common with early Christianity, so I don't know if he'd argue with you