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Was Jesus a Socialist? I Don't Think So

I tend to agree with Phil Liaboe's argument here on this topic. Matthew 14:15-21 - the miracle of Jesus multiplying five loaves and two fishes to feed 5000 is sometimes used to illustrate God's approval of socialism. This is perverse, as we'll see later.

In school, I learned that the old TV show "Gilligan's Island" was an example of communism. How benign. I also learned that the short story "Stone Soup" was also about the merits of communism. Gosh, how wonderful to have each member of a community contributing to the betterment of the whole.

We'll explore these concepts to the fallacy underneath them and draw more accurate conclusions. Let's start by understanding what socialism and communism are. From Random House Webster's Dictionary of the English Language:

Communism. n. 1. a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. 2. a political doctrine or movement based on Marxism and developed by Lenin and others, seeking a violent overthrow of capitalism and the creation of a classless society. 3. a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating party. [1835-45]

Socialism. n. 1. a theory or system of social organization in which the means of production and distribution of goods are owned and controlled collectively by the government. 2. (in Marxist theory) the state following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles. [1830-40]

When the population is six passengers plus a skipper for a 3-hour tour, communism as a societal order can be rather beneficial. It may even work peacefully for a few dozen hippies in a commune. Once the population reaches scale of a major city, state or nation, the dynamics change. The dynamics themselves must be controlled and this is where communism becomes despotic. The vagaries and ingenuities of human nature get suppressed. Attempt at this suppression is exactly what leads to communist regime failure. Crushing the human need to express oneself in any endeavor is an effort in futility. It's also immoral. Communism aims, not to equalize, but to mold to conformity. For Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, the episodes involving the Borg illustrate this perfectly. It's also dramatized to perfect

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