In God We Trust

1 May 2008

Secularism Leads to Socialism

Posted by Joy Bischoff under: Constitution in Peril .

(This is part three of a six-part series called Dialogue of Freedom. Our readers have suggested that some of the comments be added into the article to help further understanding of this concept. We will probably do this when it is posted above as a permanent article but for now we recommend reading the comments.)

When I was sixteen, we had a substitute teacher for my Citizenship class. He was going to be our student teacher for a few weeks, but that didn’t work out. He was fired because of me.
The student teacher was a big hit right from the start. His jovial nature and camaraderie with students only a few years his junior quickly made him a favorite. I was mildly surprised watching my friends vie for his approval. I actually think they barely noticed his socialistic and anti-God Teachings. A few days later, when he gave us an assignment for a report, no one seemed fazed at all by the topic…except for me.

After an hour long lecture about how communism had saved China, and glowing praise of socialism, the student teacher instructed us to write a long research paper showing details of why communism was the best form of government for China. I was horrified. I tried not to show how upset I was but I did question the man. I asked if I could instead write a paper showing what democracy could have done for China. He was angry with me and told me I would receive an ‘F’ if I did that.

That evening I began work on a paper that I knew would earn me that F. I did the best job I could and grew even more passionate about the principles of freedom. When I received my report back with a big, fat ‘F’ on top, I took it to the principle and told him what we had been learning in class. I never saw that student teacher again.

Is there anything good in the idea behind socialism? Certainly! Some truth is always used to attract adherents to a cause, especially when compassion is the rallying cry. Caring for our fellow-man is a responsibility we should all feel. Hopefully we can all progress to the point where we become humble, filled with love and have a desire to share with our neighbor. This is not done by force, but voluntarily. It can and should happen in a free society. When it is enforced, it is outward and not from the heart. Resentment forms and fear controls our actions because of social judgments and legal penalties.

As history proves, what always occurs when socialism is enforced is eventually it creates a climate of apathy and a loss of incentive. This leads to a lazy workforce, loss of sufficient goods and services, and finally, collapse of society. China introduced a limited form of capitalism to save itself from the collapse that happened to the Soviet Union. Now that capitalism has brought Russia such a healthy economy, the power hungry are retaking control. Through Putin and his associates, Russia is again moving toward socialism.

Totalitarian dictators always hide behind the rhetoric of wanting to bring about a Utopian society. They usually do not believe in God, or at least do not trust God to fulfill His promise of a Millennial reign of peace and justice. Secularists believe it is up to us to bring about perfection now and this can only be done by force.

It Is a Republic

The Democratic Party is fast moving toward socialism. How does a country move from freedom to socialism?

Americans referred to their form of government as a Republic until Woodrow Wilson was president. His ‘alter ego’ Edwin Mandell House (founder of the Council on Foreign Relations-CFR) made the concept of democracy popular. A Republic is a form of government that upholds a firm set of laws for the citizens. The golden age of Greece showed the weakness of democracy. Without a stable foundation of laws upon which to base political action, people can become swayed by persuasive individuals. Without understanding principles of freedom based on eternal truths, the people do not know how to measure the ideas of golden tongued orators.

Since President Wilson and Edwin House, there has been a misconception that the United States was originally a democracy and that this should be the goal of all nations who want freedom.

Lenin, the first communist dictator of Russia, wrote that democracy was an important tool in establishing communism:

Democracy is also a form of state which must disappear when the state disappears, but this will only take place in the process of transition from completely victorious and consolidated socialism to complete communism…. It would be a fundamental mistake to suppose that the struggle for democracy can divert the proletariat from the socialist revolution…. On the contrary, just as socialism cannot be victorious unless it introduces complete democracy, so the proletariat will be unable to prepare for victory over the bourgeoisie unless it wages a many-sided, consistent and revolutionary struggle for democracy. (Source)

Scott Bradley wrote:

Taken as a whole, the Chinese revolutionary movement led by the Communist Party embraces the two stages, i.e., the democratic and the socialist revolutions, which are two essentially different revolutionary processes, and the second process can be carried through only after the first has been completed. The democratic revolution is the necessary preparation for the socialist revolution, and the socialist revolution is the inevitable sequel to the democratic revolution. The ultimate aim for which all communists strive is to bring about a socialist and communist society. (Ibid)

Writing about the shortcomings of democracy, John Adams wrote:

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.

The founders well understood the weakness of democracy and purposefully set up a different form of government. After the Constitutional Convention ended, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What kind of government have you given us, Dr. Franklin?” He replied: “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Democracy, the rule of public opinion, is the perfect precursor to socialism. In fact, the largest socialist organization in America is called The Democratic Socialists of America.

In a Republic, the rule of law is established and then implemented by elected representatives. Fickle public opinion cannot change the established law without a lengthy process. In a Republic, special interest groups are held in check, in a democracy they manipulate the system and rule the day.

Many liberal groups say the Constitution is outdated or try to twist interpretations to fit their ends and liberal courts are helping them do this by claiming the authority to redefine the Constitution. The Supreme Court during the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the way the courts work. They decided that their own personal opinions should weigh more heavily than the stringent guidelines in the Constitution. Since that time, many rulings have been based on personal world views instead of law. This gives instability to the courts and shatters the foundation for law as established by the Constitution.

How did the judges get away with this? By the time FDR was in office, the idea of democracy was established. The current trend of thinking could be used as an excuse for rulings. This is not Republicanism, it is Democracy. The courts have forgotten that Congress is the legislative branch of government. Courts are only an interpretive branch of government and when there is dispute, it falls on Congress to define, not courts.

We are not saying that all Democrats are Socialists. We are saying there is a cancer growing in the Democrat Party and if people do not wake up to what constitutes freedom, that cancer will continue to spread.

Definition of Socialism

Some of the ancient Chinese Taoists taught a form of Darwinism. New ideas are old ones circulated again and again. We seldom pay enough attention to history to learn that these ideas are eventually rejected because they prove untrue or ineffective. Wikipedia defines socialism as follows:

Socialism refers to a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community.^[1] This control may be either direct—exercised through popular collectives such as workers’ councils—or indirect—exercised on behalf of the people by the state. As an economic system, socialism is often characterized by state, worker, or community ownership of the means of production, goals which have been attributed to, and claimed by, a number of political parties and governments throughout history.

The modern socialist movement largely originated in the late-19th century working class movement. In this period, the term ’socialism’ was first used in connection with European social critics who criticized capitalism and private property. For Karl Marx, who helped establish and define the modern socialist movement, socialism would be the socioeconomic system that arises after the proletarian revolution, in which the means of production are owned collectively. This society would then progress into communism.

Since the 19th century, socialists have not agreed on a common doctrine or program. Various adherents of socialist movements are split into differing and sometimes opposing branches, particularly between reformists and revolutionaries. Some socialists have championed the complete nationalization of the means of production, while social democrats have proposed selective nationalization of key industries within the framework of mixed economies. Some Marxists, including those inspired by the Soviet model of economic development, have advocated the creation of centrally planned economies directed by a state that owns all the means of production. Others, including Communists in Yugoslavia and Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinese Communists since the reform era, and some Western economists, have proposed various forms of market socialism, attempting to reconcile the presumed advantages of cooperative or state ownership of the means of production with letting market forces, rather than central planners, guide production and exchange.^[2] Anarcho-syndicalists, Luxemburgists (such as those in the Socialist Party USA) and some elements of the United States New Left favor decentralized collective ownership in the form of cooperatives or workers’ councils.

The above explanation of the centrally planned economies directed by a state does make me nervous in light of the central banks now bailing out banking institutions and instigating policies instead of allowing market forces to drive the economy. This is socialism.

The Constitution

The Constitution identifies the source of power as lying with the people. Yet it does not give the collective people power to usurp the rights of individuals as does pure democracy and socialism. Where do socialists believe power stems? Natural selection as taught by Darwinism and Marxism.

Socialists are convinced that they are wiser than us and must govern or we will destroy ourselves. The very power brokers and politicians who have brought about our current economic and environmental woes, have blamed the common man for causing those problems. Since we have supposedly done such a poor job, they have to take away our rights to ensure the survival of the planet. To take the scrutiny away from their inept handling of issues, they point to overpopulation as almost the whole of the problem. Thus, by our very existence, we are guilty. Patents are bought and suppressed that could give us clean energy so the Establishment can continue to be enriched. We are accused of mismanaging our lives, especially fuel consumption and have therefore supposedly lost the right to as much self-government as the Constitution gave.

Conclusion

The micromanaging principles of socialism appeals to those who fear this life is all there is for mankind. For atheists and agnostics, it is easier to understand why they may fall for the false promises of that limiting form of government. They are desperate to create a safe box out of life but this does not bring happiness.

For those who do believe in an afterlife, we know that although we should try and create a nice life for our families here, our real treasure is in Heaven and it is there we will attain a perfect happiness. We cherish freedom that helps us realize our full potential and allows us to worship according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Human initiative is based on positive values and not hatred and jealousy. “Thou shalt not covet” is one of the Ten Commandments and is important to help us understand that we should be thankful for what we have and not plot to take what others have earned. Have you noticed that those who yell the loudest about injustice and unfair treatment are those who are demanding handouts and equal distribution of wealth? This happens across all racial divides. Instead of people trying to lift themselves up, with socialistic attitudes they will drag others down to their level of dissatisfaction and non-productivity. We must wake up, educate ourselves and our children and become a part of the dialogue of freedom or it will be lost.

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