Let's talk about communism v. Communism

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.

The Terrible Questions...pt 1 Is There a God?

Today we will examine the most dangerous question ever asked, "Is there a God?" Except perhaps "Does this make me look fat?" But that is another discussion.

For just a moment, ignore the eons of tradition in every culture ever found on this planet and just simply ask yourself if a Supreme Creator exists. Your answer is very likely based upon a vague jumble of adherence to scientific theories; family traditions; personal hopes; and willingness to change your habits.

Science tells us something completely different than what YOU probably think I am about to say. Because most of the world's scientists today appear to be Atheistic it becomes rather easy to assume that science as a whole disbelieves in God. This however is untrue and lazy thinking.

Aside from the fact that without a full survey I cannot declare anything about the religious views of any group, the questions about God held by the learned are not so simple as yes or no. The confusion is part and parcel of their way of thinking.

Science is based upon a method that says (more or less) "I propose a theory. I test a theory. I adjust my views based upon the results of those tests. I test again and again until my theory is either so perfect that it never disagrees with the results or is wrong every single time and just cannot be true. I once proved that baby kittens do not take kindly to Black Flag ant spray. Five of them died and the last grew-up to be called Weirdo and ate cockroaches for fun...but I digress.

To a fully involved scientist, only very few things are really "proven true". These are the various LAWS such as gravity and the inverse relationship between the mass of the chocolate and my degree of self-control. Everything else is merely a probability. They are perfectly happy living day-to-day under this uncertainty and only occasionally does it harm them.

But you cannot test God in a lab. So when a scientist is asked if they "believe in God", often they must disassociate from their professional thought process and move into a more emotional, metaphysical sphere which is the absolute opposite of how they have trained themselves to view the universe. Many of our intrepid empiricists will simply throw their hands in the air and say, "I don't know".

On the other hand, family tradition is little better at giving us insight into the existance of God than an old game of "telephone". Some of you might not be familiar with this rainy-day past time so I will explain: Gather a chain of people, at least 5-6 but the more the better. Whisper something into Susan's ear (stop thinking like that you naughty naughty boy). Have Susan tell Jim who tells Bobby etc etc etc. Finally the last in the chain announces what he was told. Then number 5,4, 3, 2, 1. The longer the chain the less like the original message will the final one will be.

Although people honestly WANT to tell the truth, we make mistakes. This is why hearsay is inadmissable to courts of law. We need direct testimony and evidence. So what my G-G-G-G-G-Grandfather had to say about God may be interesting but it is NOT proof.

If we look to the Ancients for guidance we see the same question bedeviling them. The philosophers were continually either trying to prove or disprove the existance of the Gods. Their elaborate logical puzzles always began from one position and ran around for a few thousand pages before coming to the same conclusion: I believe THIS, although I cannot prove it beyond anyone else's ability to wonder.

Some people simply hope that there is a God. I am somewhat in this catagory. If one really thinks about it, what is left to us in this life if there is no God?

Absolute relativism (the belief that there is no right or wrong other than what Man decides) is a hopelessly unworkable system. If every person is a law unto themselves then there is effectively no law. Who would have the right to say that their view was any more "right" than anyone else's? The largest group? That leads to mob rule. Just ask Louie the XIV and his wife Toni. America, indeed most of Western Civilization, is dealing with this very proposition right now. We have cast off God for humanism and found that morality went with Him.

If we exist here by chance and live by our own will then die to enter a void of non-being then why try to do anything other than "eat, drink and be merry"? Why give a damn about the enviroment so long as I can have my pimped-out SUV and 20 pound of gold bling? Yo homeboy yo!

Without a God in which to place trust then there is simply no answer for the "why" questions that inevitably arise (and we shall discuss in later posts) such as "Why is there evil in the world" and "Why do the good suffer when the wicked seem to prosper?"

The Greeks were famous for their tragedies because they were caught-up in that nihilistic life-style that come from rejecting the idea of a loving God who wants good for His creations. One can hardly miss the similarities between many ancient civilizations and our own. Especially how they declined after turning away from Deity. When we lose hope in the future then we sink into depression, idleness and despair. Everything collapses and another, more vibrant society takes over. I for one would have welcomed Rome's new Vandal overlords.

But what about this "personal change" thing I mentioned? Many people do not want to believe because they don't want to change how they live their lives. If one accepts a moral code then it follows that they would live by it. Many religions have a good long list of don'ts. Mostly composed of the funnest things we can do in this life...wink wink. We'll talk about that later as well.

If I refuse to believe in God than I can watch football on Sunday holding my 40oz beer; sucking on a 6 inch blunt and warming-up the $20 hooker without the slightest hint of remorse or shame.

If God exists though, then all that fun is out. And I just lit that doobie too...

So the final answer to the first and biggest of the terrible questions is..."Brian believes that God is there, mostly from personal experience with the unseen world but also from a healthy fear of live without Him. But you answer all depends on what you want out of your life."

Next we will talk about which God is out there.

Oy, Tevye

"Dear God, you made many, many poor people.

I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?"

I love Tevye. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Even as a young boy I felt an instant connection to the poor Milkman of Anatevka. He, struggling to provide for his family amidst the strife and poverty of feudal Russia; his wife, Golda, always on the prowl to make a “good match” for their five daughters; and the girls, just on the cusp of womanhood; each facing challenges they never imagined.

And like that “Fiddler on the Roof”, Tevye is forever swaying back and forth between his innate wisdom, the desire to bring joy to his daughter’s lives and the overarching traditions which have preserved his people for millennia.

The movie (and I presume the play) has a fine comedic interlude with the song If I Were a Rich Man. Tevye begins by fantasizing about all the things he would do with his small fortune and inexorably progresses to one of his heart’s fondest dreams, to have the time with which to improve his knowledge of the Torah and discuss it with the learned men. Our hero is deeply devoted to God in a way that allows him to talk to the Supreme Being as if to a friend. And is that not a beautiful relationship to have?

In the cinematic version, his song ends by asking God in a powerful and searching plea, “Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if I were a wealthy man?” My answer to him is, “Yes Tevye. Being who you are right now, it most certainly would spoil at least a small part of that vast Eternal plan.” Let us examine his words carefully and see why.

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.

If I were a wealthy man.

I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.

I cannot say where, and perhaps my Jewish friends could help me, but somewhere I came to understand that the words biddy biddy bum are a reference to prayer in general or a specific type of prayer. I will work off of that premise.

So Tevye, if you were rich you would pray all day long? Prayer is a wonderful thing but don’t you pray all day already? Talking to God and discussing the issues of the day? And did not God place us here to work? Was not one of His first commands to Adam, one never revoked, to take command and stewardship of the earth and work it? Was not the “curse” placed upon Adam that, “by the sweat of your face shalt thou eat bread”?

Though I am sure you did not mean it, to think that God would smile upon you for trying to avoid His word through your wealth is dangerous at best.

I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of the town.
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one long staircase just going up,
And one even longer coming down,
And one more leading nowhere, just for show.

Tevye my friend, you have big dreams. “A big tall house with rooms by the dozen”? Do you really need that? True you have five daughters and each could use their own room and another private space beside. Then dining and storage rooms; a sitting room; library; closets; workshops…but even with all that I can only see 20 rooms at best. Yea, that’s almost two dozen but it isn’t “by the dozen”. You are a good, honest, hard-working man who understands the evil of waste. Would you really want to start wasting money and space for a house that is so far beyond your needs? Unless…

I'd fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks
For the town to see and hear.
And each loud "cheep" and "swaqwk" and "honk" and "quack"
Would land like a trumpet on the ear,
As if to say "Here lives a wealthy man."

Oy veh Tevye! I am astounded and perplexed that you, of all people, would be so afflicted with the sin of Pride. Would you do all this just for the benefit of gaining the envy of the townsfolk? Aren’t you respected and honored by your friends already?  Would you rather be hated than loved? The people will rather mark you for your raised nose than anything. They will no longer wish you “Good Sabbath” for the joy in their hearts at your appearance but they will say the words for fear of what you could do to them or to gain favor in pursuit of their own ends. It plants a tiny but hateful lie in the ear, and in the guise of a blessing, thus doubly cursed.

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.

I see my wife, my Golde, looking like a rich man's wife
With a proper double-chin.
Supervising meals to her heart's delight.
I see her putting on airs and strutting like a peacock.
Oy, what a happy mood she's in.
Screaming at the servants, day and night.

Oh now this is too much. Golda is a headstrong woman who wishes to have her hand in every decision. If you came into money and she had the freedom to give rein to her tendencies, she would become an angry, haughty and domineering shrew! Is that the fate you desire for her? God forbid it! To become like Lazar Wolf’s first wife Fruma-Sarah? Oh but she was a bitter woman! Golda of all people needs the heavy restraining hand of poverty to keep her humble. Would it please God for Golda to be screaming at the servants day and night as you say? Would their lives be any happier then than yours is now? Would the wealth make you and your family better people? Repent of your fantasies Tevye, for Golda’s sake.

The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!
They would ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise.
"If you please, Reb Tevye..."
"Pardon me, Reb Tevye..."
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes!
And it won't make one bit of difference if i answer right or wrong.
When you're rich, they think you really know!

And so we see the dangers of pride. How easily it creeps into our hearts and twists the good man’s soul. From a poor but honest man my hero Tevye has become callous and cold toward those who trust him the most. “…it won’t make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong”? Really? People are coming to you for advice just as they would the Rabbi and it makes no difference to you whether your advice is good or not? What if they lose their livelihood? Their family? Their life? No Tevye, the giving of advice is a dangerous matter and one not to be entered into lightly. The tongue should be guarded at all times lest we lead our neighbor into temptation. How many friendships have been ruined by the ill-considered word? Put away this arrogance lest you follow that arch mocker Ha-Satan.

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Now at last we find the truth of your heart. My brother Tevye wishes most to learn. As the Mishnah says, "Whoever has no regard for the honor of his creator is worthy of not having come into the world." Of that Maimonides explains "the honor of his creator"…"This means whoever has no regard for his intellect, for the intellect is the glory of God.”

Yes, it would be sweet to spend much of the day studying the holy books. How thrilling it would be to peer into the minds of the most learned Rabbis of all time. If a rich man, and one with much time on his hands, then at least be a wise one who is pious before God and free of his substance toward those in need. Only then would riches be of any real use to you.

God would have us be good, loving, kind, generous, honorable, helpful, always striving to do better, eschewing evil, shunning temptations. The Christians say that it is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven. Why take those burdens upon yourself Tevye, when today you are good and wise, yearning for that God who created you.

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.

The Terrible Questions...Intro

Have you ever asked yourself the Terrible Questions? I am sure you have. Almost every person who has ever lived on this earth has, in a moment of introspection, wondered, "Why am I here; Does God exist; What happens after I die; and Why is there evil in the world?"

Philosophers from the earliest times have wrestled with these foundational aspects of the Human Existence and found a wide array of answers from the classic Greek despondency (which led irresistibly to the Tragedies of their theater) to the utterly nihilistic Marxian belief that Man exists for the sole purpose of increasing his own power at the expense of all others.

In greatest humility I wish to put forth my thoughts on these questions, standing on the shoulders of the mighty, learned and inspired, so that perhaps I might bring peace and comfort to the minds of those who are troubled by this great adventure we call Life.

Be aware, I am unabashedly a Christian and after discussing the most basic question, "Is there a God?", everything I say thereafter will proceed from that viewpoint.

So, let us take a journey together and see if we can find some meaning to the pitiful few moments we endure on this seemingly God-forsaken rock.