by Norman Weibel

Created on: August 27, 2008

Jesus summed up Christianity in two commandments: Love God; and love your neighbor as yourself. He stated for clarification that it was impossible to love God whom we have not seen, if we fail to love our neighbor whom we have seen.

Though some interpret this to mean Christians should be selfless, if one follows the logic that one can't love the unknown (God)until he loves those he has seen, it follows that in order to love his neighbor, he must first love himself. Christianity begins and continues with the individual's exploration of himself and his world around him. It requires him to hold love of himself, hi neighbors and finally God. Love is the motive force of Christians.

After the Christian discovers that which is lovable in himself, known by some as the God within or the Holy Spirit, he can not fail to see this entity in his brother, his siter, and his neighbor. The individual expressing his love through his actions toward others is the pattern of Christianity.

It is the philosophy that brought forth in America great individual wealth shared with even those who hated the giver. An example would be Andrew Carnagie, who made a fortune in steel. His biographers claim that he, from his poor status in Scotland to his penniless arrival in the United States, believed in tithing to his church and, in addition to giving to those less well off than he was. He believed also in education and projected this belief through his establishment of free public libraries througout the United States.

Communism, on the other hand, considers the individual only as a member of the collective
whole. As the collective goes, so goes the member, each giving according to his ability, each getting according to his needs. The only driving force seems to be rising to the head of the collective.

The philosophy seems somewhat similar to Christianity, but it fails to value the individual except as a cog in the collective machine. Though all were presumed to be equal, some were more equal similar to in the fictional work, "Animal Farm". Love of self or of others is
absent. Duty without love becomes abhorent. With its failure, enforcement through force comes into play and leadership is provided through a dictatorship. To enforce his Communist Party Dictates, Stalin murdered over six million of his fellow communists.

Christianity fosters voluntary individual sharing to benefit all through acts of love. Communism subordinates the individual to the majority will, crushing him to fit. Man thrives in an atmosphere of individual freedom and love and is stifled and crippled in an atmosphere of fear and subjugation.

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