Can there be such a thing as Christian Marxism?Lets look at the basic characteristics of Marxism.
- History is the history of class struggle.
- True equality only comes with the abolition of private property and social class distinctions.
- The abolition of private property and social class distinctions will only come about after an inevitable violent revolution of the proletariat overthrows the bourgeoisie and gains control of the means of production.
I'm sure Marx would roll over in his London grave to see his philosophy boiled down in such simplistic terms. However, blogs demand expediency.
So is it possible to reconcile a Christian world view with Marxist theory? The first item to reconciled out of the equation would be Marx's athiesm which inherently makes all conversation moot if not eliminated from the discussion. Marx was discussing politics and economics and religion simply got in the way. I don't believe it was a foundation for the actual carrying out of his ideal philosophy.
Lets proceed to examine each individual point listed above. I will be dealing with each individual point in seperate postings.
- History is the history of class struggle. It would be hard to argue against this point. Even from the Christian view that God has had a guiding hand throughout history it is obvious that man has from the beginning struggled with materialism. Among other aspects, there is a strong dose of greed and materialism in the temptation of Eve and in the story of Cain and Abel.
Class struggle is rooted in greed and the desire to dominate. "Things" and the greedy desire to dominate our own course are often the major obstacles between a person and a relationship with the holy creator. So at this first point I cannot see a conflict with the Marxist belief and Christianity. History is the history of class struggle both in tangible and metaphysical terms.
I'll look at the other points in comparision to Christianity in upcoming posts. Of course, if you think I'm a complete lunatic feel free to leave a comment.
