Have you ever wondered about communism? I don’t mean the grand and imposing military force standing-off against the Free West. Nor am I referring to the closed and dreadful State with its secret police and Godless institutions. I am speaking of the quite intriguing idea that Men and Women can live together in harmony, sharing all their goods and skills in common for the betterment of all.
Let’s face it, I am far better at speaking than I am at fixing a broken car. In a communal society I might find a very satisfying and useful life in teaching school. If for that work I were given a home, food, clothes, and reasonable access to the storehouse of surplus goods, what more could I (or should I) really ask for? Pure true communism is an idyllic situation where everyone works to bring the most good to the entire group. This is far distant from Communism with the force, fear and death that it ALWAYS carries in its wake.
So why does communism not work? It has been tried. Many many times.
Plato considered it in his epic work The Republic. This paper (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/) from Stanford University examines many aspects of these themes. In my own humble way, I see his work as a form of Enlightened Despotism en banc. In other words, The group who is most capable of ruling the city in a just manner should be given that absolute power. Unfortunately, I know of very few people who possess the wisdom, love and understanding to take-up that mantle safely. It appears to be the very blueprint used by Marx and Engles in the formation of their Communistic theories.
If the Bible is to be believed, the disciples and their families also practiced a form of communism.
Acts 2:44-5 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
No modern Communists would recognize the manner in which Peter et al lived together. For one thing, theirs was a voluntary system. Witness this story from Act 5:1-10 where Ananias and his wife Saphirra tried to cheat the Lord.
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, asold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and agave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to atempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
Take notice of verse 4:
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
The property remained in their own power until such time as they decided to give it to the Disciples. It can be inferred that this involved some form of ceremony and or oath from verse 3 where Ananias “laid it at the apostle’s feet”. The sin came in the lying about the value of the property. This is very akin to the man praying on the street corner in order to gain the praise of the world. Ananias and Saphirra wanted to join in the blessings of this communal order while still maintaining their own wealth.
The moral weakness we see in them is more clearly spelled out by William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony in his work Of Plymouth Plantation. Similar human frailties spelled doom to that experiment as well.
The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato's and other ancients applauded by some of later times; and that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For the young men, that were most able and fit for labor and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized in labors and victuals, clothes etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And for men's wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it. Upon the point all being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have been worse if they had been men of another condition. Let none object this is men's corruption, and nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for them. –Wm. Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation
The Mormons tried to recreate the Biblical experience in the 1830s-1840s and succeeded in doing just that…with the same sad results. Dozens of communities were organized under The United Order and The United Order of Enoch. It utilized a covenant called the Law of Consecration, wherein an individual, after voluntarily entering into the covenant and being judged worthy and capable of living the law, gave all they owned into the hands of the Church. It was then redistributed back according to ones needs. Just as with the Plymouth Settlers and the Disciples before them, certain individuals failed to live up to their promises; engendered ill feelings in others; and tore the entire group apart.
So why is it that all these seemingly good, honest and dedicated people fail to make this thing work? It fails because we are weak humans who lie, cheat, steal, and get jealous of one another.
The sweet, loving thing called communism (small “c”) only works when you have nearly perfect God-centered people voluntarily working together. Communism (capital “C”) which operates on forcing individuals to give up all their freedoms for the good of the few on top, only works when you have enough bullets.
