It’s hard to know whether to laugh, cry, both, or just jump off the tallest available building when someone like MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry pops up to tell us how our children are communal property and that any contention to the contrary is, above all else, glaring evidence of stark raving racism.
So with good ol’ Ms. H-P in mind, and in keeping with this summer’s nostalgic theme celebrating five years of Fire Breathing Christians
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Abolition of the family! Even the most radical flare up at this infamous proposal of the Communists. On what foundation is the present family, the bourgeois family, based? On capital, on private gain…
But, you will say, we destroy the most hallowed of relations, when we replace home education by social…
The bourgeois claptrap about the family and education, about the hallowed correlation of parent and child, becomes all the more disgusting, the more, by the action of modern industry, all family ties among the proletarians are torn asunder, and their children transformed into simple articles of commerce and instruments of labour. ~ Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto[1]
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“With rare exceptions, our activists and radicals are products of and rebels against our middle-class society….Our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and way of life of the middle class.” ~ Saul Alinsky
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A quest for the source material at the root of progressive liberal ideology can lead to many places in many times, but for the purposes of identifying and understanding the formative philosophies that gave birth to the particular ideology driving the progressive movement in modern day America, there is one contributing philosophy that towers above all others. While in the Ten Commandments we find ten problems for the contemporary progressive movement to overcome, we find, at the very least, a much more philosophically sympathetic set of ideals and principles in the Ten Planks of Communism as defined by Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto and presented here for our consideration:
1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rent to public purpose.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transportation in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of Industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.
10. Free education for all children in government schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
At the heart of The Communist Manifesto, we are offered these ten prescribed steps towards the destruction of a free enterprise system so that it might be replaced by a structure built upon an omnipotent government, thereby bringing about a Communist socialist state. Now before anyone from any place on the political spectrum starts to get all riled up at the mere suggestion of such a thing as this, please just sit back, take a deep breath, simmer down and remember that there really is no need to take any of this too seriously.
Let not your heart be troubled. There’s no need to be upset at any of this. There’s no good reason for elevated blood pressure, high anxiety, or panic attacks. There’s no need to worry at all because, you see…there are no Communists.
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Werewolves and Vampires and Commies,Oh My!
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Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8
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“How do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.” ~ Ronald Reagan
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Just as the average leader of the progressive political movement likes to pretend that the devil does not actually exist (unless they’re in the process of accurately dedicating their seminal literary work, of course), so, too, does the garden variety progressive activist like to play with the notion that, like werewolves, vampires and middle-class tax cuts from Democrat Presidents, communists simply do not exist. They’re a work of fiction.
Use the words “communist,” “socialist,” or “liberal” in the presence of an American communist, socialist or liberal and you will elicit a response including any or all of the following:
- A dismissive smirk.
- An incredulous roll of the eyes.
- A wonderfully nervous giggle or laugh.
- An angry demand to “see your papers.”
Okay, that last one is at least weeks away from reality, but the first three most definitely apply right now in today’s America.
One of the most adorable attributes of the leadership and activist base of the contemporary progressive movement is that they have an awe-inspiringly powerful dedication to the ongoing creation and preservation of their precious land of make-believe. The bubble world pseudo-reality in which they live has become so completely severed from objective truth that they have now convinced themselves that they actually have the power to ignore something—anything—out of existence.
Think of this as the Osteen/Hinn/Meyer contribution to progressive political ideology. You simply speak and your words create a brand new reality!
Neato!
Is the whole “Bible thing” impossibly specific and demanding?
Outta here!
God is getting in the way?
Snap! *poof* See ya!
The devil is problematic?
Gone!
Communists and Communism have become rightly attached to Marxism?
No sweat! Consider ’em erased! (And don’t worry; Communists, by nature, just love erasing history.)
Socialists and Socialism have become rightly attached to Marxism?
What Socialists? *wink*
Liberals and Liberalism have become rightly attached to Marxism?
What’s a Liberal? Never heard of ’em…
…I’m a Progressive.
And here we are! How cool was that?
What does it say that the biblically submissive Christian core at the base of the political movements opposed to the progressive movement never seeks to separate itself from identification with biblically submissive Christianity, while those spearheading the progressive movement seem to blow through intentionally deceptive code names faster than Barack Hussein Obama nationalizes American industries? (Okay, maybe not quite that fast, but you get my meaning.)
Issues of basic honesty aside (which is just where the progressives like them), what is the goal of such relentless name-changing? What do we know about those who feel compelled in life to pursue a similar approach on an individual basis? When a person feels the need to constantly change their name, or a product or company is perpetually attempting to “rebrand” itself under an endless parade of new monikers, what does this tell us about their character? What role does this character assessment play in our evaluation of causes, activists, and would-be leaders?
Unfortunately for those who would ignore such matters and seek to impose their land of make-believe ideals upon the rest of us, there are little things that tend to get in the way. Things they haven’t been able to ‘fix’ completely…yet. Things like recorded history, for example.
And books. Books like The Communist Manifesto and Rules for Radicals.
The Communist Manifesto was the counter-Christian creation of Karl Marx and the open advocacy of Marxism was the stated goal of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, which was enthusiastically digested and implemented by Barack Hussein Obama. See how neatly and completely Karl Marx, Saul Alinsky, Barack Hussein Obama, and the contemporary progressive movement all fit together? When I watch the pieces come together and fit so perfectly—so seamlessly—I cannot help but feel as though, in the best sense, we are witnessing true, good and godly progress unfolding right before our eyes.
Communism, socialism, Marxism, Marx, McLaren, Baal, Alinsky, Obama…they’re all real, after all. Their deep and profound connections are just as real.
With this truth established and the vampires and werewolves banished to play in Transylvania and Twilight flicks, we are liberated to continue our pursuit of truth where the progressive Marxist agenda is concerned.
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God Almighty vs. State Almighty
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“I will argue that man’s hopes lie in the acceptance of the great law of change.” ~ Saul Alinsky
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“It’s not just enough to change the players. We’ve gotta change the game.” ~ Barack Hussein Obama
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A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. ~ Luke 6:40
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We see in the Ten Commandments and the Ten Planks of Communism two diametrically opposed worldviews codified into short, approachable, comprehensible, and digestible lists of principles. Whatever one might think of any specific plank or point presented in The Communist Manifesto, or however one might view any single one of the Ten Commandments of God to man, it is impossible to credibly maintain that the contemporary progressive movement and its most powerful political tool, the American Democrat Party are not, at the very least, strongly inclined towards one and against the other.
Both Christianity and Marxism speak clearly and forcefully to the subjects of personal property, inheritance, and the nature of a child’s education. Both biblical Christianity and the Marxism-fueled progressive movement speak clearly and forcefully to the centrality and significance of the traditional family unit and the sanctity of marriage. Both biblical Christianity and the progressive political movement speak to the nature of man.
The Marxist views man as basically good and infinitely perfectible to the progressive. The biblical Christian identifies man as dead in sin and deserving of destruction. The progressive views the nature of God as malleable, open to interpretation and ultimately optional. The biblical Christian knows and submits to the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent “I AM” of Scripture. As for the nature of that Holy Word, it is at best a mix of fact and fiction to the progressive, while to the biblical Christian it is the essential, final, and sufficient authority in all matters.
With two views so clearly positioned in opposition to one another, the time has come for the professing church of Christ to formally and unequivocally stake its claim, state its position, and stand firm in opposition to a political and religious movement in open rebellion against the Lord she claims to serve. We are at war. The church must declare its allegiance and fight.
Her enemies have no qualms or reservations concerning their allegiances, intentions and goals; they’ve been as open as can be. For those with eyes to see, the writing has long been on the wall.
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Commandments vs. Communism
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“The Revolutionary force today has two targets, moral as well as material. Its young protagonists are one moment reminiscent of the idealistic early Christians, yet they also urge violence and cry, ‘Burn the system down!’ They have no illusions about the system, but plenty of illusions about the way to change our world. It is to this point that I have written this book.” ~ Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals
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Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ~ Matthew 12:30
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Those who would distract with Dracula and the Wolf-man are just as prone to pretend that these socialists and communists, if they ever did actually exist, really weren’t really opposed to biblical Christianity or the Ten Commandments of God to man. Nope, not at all. Nor were they necessarily all that much in favor of the principles found in Marx’s Communist Manifesto. You see, these kind, gentle folk simply sought to embody an enlightened, open-minded, and tolerant approach to life in all ways without really looking for any kind of trouble or controversy. They’re all about peace, love, and happiness, man.
The proponents of the progressive religious and political movements will wiggle and squirm and do their very best to convince you that, just as with all things of great and diametrically opposed significance, the issues so clearly defined in the Ten Commandments and the Ten Planks of Communism, at the end of the day, simply do not matter enough to divide over. They will say that we must set aside our differences over such things…all for the sake of unity…and, of course, progress.
And who would dare oppose that?
Who wants to mess up that whole unity vibe?
Can’t we all just get along?
Why would we ever want to actually engage an opponent of biblical truth in serious debate or argument?
That sort of thing is awfully uncomfortable and risky, you know.
We might offend someone.
We might look bad to others.
We might have to study and prepare…actually know what the Bible says.
We might have to think.
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God-focused Thought Produces God-glorifying Action
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“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” ~ Martin Luther
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“What luck that men do not think.” ~ Adolf Hitler
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In their pursuit of the establishment of an Almighty State, the enemies of liberty have a roadmap. The way has been charted. In the strategically sound spirit of “knowing your enemy,” we are well served to make note of a few critical thoughts on strategy and tactics from Barack Hussein Obama mentor Saul Alinsky and the one who so inspired him: Karl Marx.
The first five of Saul Alinsky’s thirteen tactics as advanced in Rules for Radicals are as follows:
1. Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.
2. Never go outside the expertise of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear and retreat…[and] the collapse of communication.
3. Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
4. Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.
5. Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.[2]
In these proposed tactics taken from the mind of Obama’s mentor, do we find principles in harmony with or opposition to the clear teachings of Scripture? Is God glorified or angered by the implementation of such ideals as Alinsky’s advocacy of the use of ridicule as a weapon to be directed at biblical principles? Is God glorified or grieved by those who embrace Alinsky’s desire to employ insecurity and anxiety as the means by which goals can be realized?
For the progressive professing Christian, there are infinite rationalizations and justifications available in the shaping, spinning, and re-casting of these questions into a more favorable light. For the biblically submissive Christian, the answers to each of these questions are clear and utterly formative. They are determining factors in how votes are to be cast.
In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx closes with the following call to arms:
The Communists disdain to conceal their views and their aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Working men of all countries, unite![3]
In his philosophical and political pronouncements, Karl Marx was an honest and open man. He knew what he believed and boldly proclaimed it from the rooftops. He sought to inspire and motivate all who could hear with his progressive philosophy of communism. Much the same could be said of Saul Alinsky.
The philosophical and ideological progeny of Marx and Alinsky direct every significant step of the contemporary American progressive movement.
Marx and Alinsky were not vampires. They were not werewolves. They were socialists. Their progeny are socialists.
Communism, socialism, and the desire of both strains of the humanist virus to replace Almighty God with the Almighty State are all very real things.
The American Democrat Party’s aversion to God’s Ten Commandments to man and sympathy toward Karl Marx’s Ten Planks of Communism are very real things.
Every biblically submissive Christian has been given eyes to see and ears to hear. They are without excuse and cannot escape the responsibility to act in accordance with what God has revealed as truth.
As a result of this, are all genuine Christians somehow obligated to vote Republican? That notion is, in a word: Silly. (And more than a little dumb, too.)
While biblically submissive Christians are not compelled to support any particular political party, they are certainly prohibited from supporting any such party that is openly at war with the Christ they claim as Lord.
Can a Democrat Party member who is seeking the power to secure the legalized targeting of innocent children and the legitimization of homosexuality still, in spite of these issues, advocate and do other objectively “good” things.
Of course he can. And Hitler built the autobahn.
So what?!
There is simply no credible biblical defense for supporting any party, institution, cause, or candidate what would so openly declare its opposition to Scripture in such a comprehensive manner as has the contemporary American Democrat Party.
This party has, in pursuit of the progressive dream and promotion of the gospel of socialism, willfully charted a course to economic catastrophe. None of this is accidental.
America must be completely broken so that she might be reconstructed in much the same manner as Christ, Christianity, and morality have been obliterated and rebuilt to progressive specifications.
Her people must be stripped of their capacity and will for self-sufficiency and self-government so that the long coveted “worker’s paradise” be realized. This is the “heaven here on earth” that so inspires the religious wing of the progressive cause.
The rapid expansion of government and the collapse of our economy are not, as sane people fear, opposing forces destined to collide and ultimately destroy one another. At least not in the happy land of delusion occupied by the ideological decedents of Jim Jones and Saul Alinsky. You see, from the perspective of the enlightened progressive, these forces work in complete harmony. They go hand-in-glove.
The big brother, nanny state, cradle-to-grave, entitlement mentality so carefully propagated and nurtured in America since the time of FDR is about to yield its final product.
Sovereignty is out. Slavery is in. All by design.
And with the new American slave class successfully dominating her culture, the coming economic implosion will serve the greater good’s purpose by paving the way for the swift emergence of an Almighty State. The birth of this new state requires the complete destruction of the old. This is the conscious goal of the progressive movement in America.
As we continue our survey of the cultural battlefield, culminating in this section with an examination of the progressive goal of establishing an Almighty State, we need only recall and remember the clearly stated views of political and religious leaders throughout the progressive movement in order to confidently confirm their shared Marxist heritage and anti-Christian designs. The progressive movement has, at every turn, made war on the God of Christianity.
With this difficult but undeniable truth in mind, we must acknowledge and declare that it is no more possible for a biblically submissive Christian in contemporary America to credibly support the Democrat Party than it would have been for an intelligent, informed Jew in 1930s Germany to vote Nazi.
This is an excerpt from the book Fire Breathing Christians
© 2014 Scott Alan Buss – All Rights Reserved.
[1] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (New York, NY: Signet Classic published by New American Library, 1998), p. 71-72
[2] Saul D. Alinsky, Rules for Radicals – A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (New York, NY: Random House, 1989), p. 127-128
[3] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (New York, NY: Signet Classic published by New American Library, 1998), p. 91
You got at least one thing wrong, Scott. Saul Alinksy was not inspired by Karl Marx, but by the Devil himself (aka "Lucifer").
Great article, Scott! I am neither Rep or Dem. I am a Monarchist awaiting the return of my King!