If you look at Christianity and Socialism both the Religion and the Philosophy seem to be saying “Love Your Neighbor as you love your self.” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Now many folk would say both have resulted in countless millions of dead. In the history of Christianity that is certainly true. Look at the battle for control of Church dogma and the inquisition through the centuries that has caused numerous wars and millions dead particularly among those seeking Sola Scriptura and belief in faith alone in Jesus Christ for salvation.
With Christianity this has happened because, in the first instance Christians upset the governing bodies and caused disorder among the other religions. Hence there was widespread persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. As time went on the Church was infiltrated by paganism and bible believing Christians came out from the Church and spread the gospel which weakened the pagan churches hold on the governments of many nations and resulted in more persecution of true Christianity and dead. You can read about this in Foxes Book of Martyrs by John Foxe.
In the case of Socialism one only needs to look at the Soviet Union to find equally large numbers of dead. Lenin is said to have been personally responsible for seven million deaths. The reign of Stalin was said to have caused the deaths of up to sixty six million people in gulags and forced labor camps.
In the end Socialism is simply one huge disappointment. It purported to support equitable distribution of wealth amongst the people. The equality and guarantee of the freedom of speech. The guarantee of human rights to all groups in secular society and the possibility of a Utopian society where each one has according to their need and all are viewed as equal in the eyes of the state. In reality it has been the mere substitution of one form of tyranny for another. One group of tyrant rulers for another.
So why are both Christianity and Socialism so completely unable to deliver a society that delivers equality for all and to provide to each according to his need. In Matthew chapter thirteen Jesus told his disciples The Parable of of the Weeds. In it he told of a man who sowed good seed on his field and when he was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. When the wheat germinated the weeds germinated also. His servants asked him Sir didn’t you sow good quality seed where did the weeds come from? He replied to them “An enemy has done this.”
The Lord Jesus Christ described this situation in a parable reproduced below.
The Parable of the Weeds - Matthew 13: 24 - 30
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Further on in Chapter thirteen the disciples said to Jesus please explain to us The Parable of the Weeds. Jesus elaborated on the parable explaining how it related to the world in which we live. His response is reproduced below.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained - Matthew 13: 36 - 43
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
So when we look at God’s work in the world we see that where there is righteousness it comes from God. Where there is unrighteousness it comes from Satan. Satan is clever he knows what will appeal to the people so he came up with Socialism and pitched it to seem like righteousness. Everyone is to be valued. All are to have equal rights. Everyone must be listened too. But in reality it is a crippling disease that allows those who control it to have unchallenged dominion over the people. All who challenge the status quo are eliminated. Christians in particular are subjected to persecution because this is one of Satan’s programs and true believers are not welcome.
In the case of the Church, Satan has sewed his seed and his people within it. This has caused the Church to seemingly persecute its own. It has lead to perversion of scriptural truth and a lack of acceptance of the inerrancy of bible. This has caused the Church to split into factions and believers can only decide where they will worship based on what the religious groups they are looking at says it believes. This continued onslaught by the devil has produced the Church that we see in our time. A miserable weakened creature that fawns over apostasy and which is largely only interested in returning to Rome and blending into the world around it.
Hence it is that we expect to see Christianity strong and united but are surprised at how flexible and, at times ineffectual it is. However, within the World we sometimes see how the world accommodates people of faith and even Christians. An instance would be the Christian and Jewish enclaves in Iran. These folk have lived in peace for centuries in an Islamic nation that makes no bones of its hatred for the Christian West and the nation of Israel. So Satan has his way in the Church and the Church as a result is not always what it would appear to be. But Jehovah is always at work in the World and is able to support and protect his own from the devil in the most unlikely places.
Socialism then is purpose built to appear to espouse equality but actually to engage with the people of Jehovah and to wage war against them. Christianity is strong but not where we expect it to be. If you see large well kept churches and well feed parishioners you may well be disappointed at the lack of spiritual growth you find their and values of the people. But if you find the Christians persecuted and the Church under attack then you will find resilient and strong believers sharing the word, sowing the seed, stacking the weeds in bundles and preparing for the harvest and the second coming of their Lord.
So what you see is the end game of a war. A war about morality. A war about how life should be lived and who should live it. A war between Socialism and Christianity. A war between good and evil. A war between the forces of the devil and the forces of Jehovah and Jesus Christ. A war where the Spirit of the Living God is active and moving decisively to swart the activity of the enemy. THE ENEMY of whom it is said AN ENEMY HAS DONE THIS.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Reference List
All Scriptures from http://www.biblegateway.com using the New International Version
An enemy has done this https://onepeterfive.com/an-enemy-has-done-this/ 15.08.18
An nemy has done this s://www.thebalance.com/socialism-types-pros-cons-examples-3305592 15.08.18
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