10 Reasons Why Socialism and Marxism Are Antithetical to Biblical Christianity by Joseph Mattera for Charisma News
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, relating it to what they called “scientific socialism.” The 20th century and beyond are fraught with examples of the embarrassing failures of both communism and socialism (i.e., The Former Soviet Union, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba and Soviet-era Eastern Germany, to name a few).
Despite this dubious history, we currently have high-profile political leaders, like congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promoting a form of Marxism called “democratic socialism.”
The following are 10 reasons why socialism is antithetical to the tenets of biblical Christianity.
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1. Socialism is against the biblical view of the nuclear family. Marxists argue that“the nuclear family performs ideological functions for Capitalism — the family acts as a unit of consumption and teaches passive acceptance of hierarchy. It is also the institution through which the wealthy pass down their private property to their children, thus reproducing class inequality.”
Hence, socialism is against the biblical principle of parental rights related to their children and the prominence of the nuclear family. (See Genesis 1:28-29; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:22-6:4.)
2. Socialists claim education belongs solely to the state. Marxist education aims at producing faithful citizens. Therefore, it is primarily an ideological tool to program children to be loyal to the state. In communist and socialist nations, education and the curriculum are controlled by the state and are not considered the responsibility of the parents. Models like homeschooling children would be illegal. This contradicts the biblical framework regarding parents being responsible for educating their children the way they choose. (See Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:6-9.)
3. Socialists claim the state deserves the highest allegiance. In many communist nations like the former Soviet Union and contemporary countries like North Korea and China, Bibles are confiscated, church buildings are burned and evangelism is illegal. This is because they see Christianity as a rival religion to the authority of the humanistic secular state. This goes against the biblical command to put first God’s kingdom and to worship and serve Jesus as the only true Lord. (See Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 6:15.)
