Years ago, when we lived in West Virginia, I can recall hearing a conversation between two people, one of which was a socialist, though he would not have recognized that fact. One of his comments during the conversation was that he thought “everyone should make (earn) the same” amount of money. The other person tried to explain to him that “it doesn’t work that way.” I doubt if the erstwhile socialist grasped that, but it’s true. You can’t expect a doctor or a teacher to work for the same wages as a custodial engineer (janitor), yet that was what the socialist expected and it really bothered him that others made more money than he did.

This is one of the problems of socialism. Socialism does not raise people up. Rather is suppresses them under the false guise of raising them up. And the people that promote it, like Bernie Sanders, realize that. Bernie is a millionaire, which means that he has no plans to ever live under the dictates of the system he promotes. He, as part of the ruling elite, is above all that. So don’t expect him to practice what he preaches to you.

There were a couple interesting articles by Michael S. Rozeff on Lew Rockwell this week, one on 1/26 and the other on 1/27. Mr. Rozeff noted: “The socialist teaching is familiar because America has already gone down that road ever since the New Deal of the 1930s and even before.”

Mr. Rozeff is especially right about the “even before” part. The truth is we have had varying degrees of socialism in this country going back to the founding of the Republican Party in the early 1850s and then throughout the War of Northern Aggression, where Mr. Lincoln employed the use of socialist and communist generals to wage his war of aggression against the lawfully seceded Southern states. Lincoln was a centralizer and the socialists of his day loved him for that. So socialism and its pernicious influence has been around in this country for awhile.

Mr. Rozeff goes on to explain the rationale of socialism. He says “The socialist program is sold under the heading of justice or social justice. The socialist enterprise has a charitable ring to it, a do-good ring to it. How can anyone be against helping others, the less fortunate, as Christian morality asks? Socialism sounds Christian and it feeds off the charitable impulse and Christian teaching, or parts of it. Yet socialism is godless. It pretends to aim for the dignity of every person, through supplying a minimum standard of living for everyone. But where is the bounty to come from that’s being distributed to all? It must come from those who produce it. Socialism forces producers to give up goods. Socialism is not a voluntary endeavor, and that alone makes it the antithesis of a Christian charity.”

I recall, years ago now, a Christian pastor I knew who had an understanding of what socialism really was, made the statement: “If you decide to do something on your own to help someone, that is Christian charity. If the government forces you to do it, then it is communism.” I can’t argue with his rationale.

Rozeff states: “Theft occurs against someone’s will; no one volunteers to be robbed. Hence, there is no way for one group of people to authorize theft against another group and make it right. Socialism claims that such theft is right, or, more accurately, altogether ignores that theft is its philosophy and acts as if it’s right to take goods away from some people and give them to others. In contrast, Christian teaching does not approve of theft…” Therefore, Christian teaching cannot approve of socialism.

Rozeff then noted what should be obvious. He said “Socialism consciously dehumanizes in its quest for equality. It’s proud of it and advertises it as a great virtue and plus for socialism. The human being is reduced to a number and a real ID. Everyone is forced to conform to the same systems, like single-payer Medicare for All. Socialist propaganda hides their anti-humanity behind such slogans as equality and social justice. These are for the gullible…The ruling socialists are entirely uninterested in the individual person and the freedom of that person. They are entirely anti-spiritual and godless…Although promising otherwise, socialism actually aims to dehumanize the human being.”

I doubt if anyone could have said it any better. In an earlier article I said that socialism was evil. Mr. Rozeff’s commentary more than bears out my earlier contention. Christians that support socialism have got a real problem, and, because of those that do, the church has a real problem.

January 29, 2020

~ The Author ~
Al Benson Jr. is the editor and publisher of “The Copperhead Chronicle“, a quarterly newsletter that presents history from a pro-Southern and Christian perspective. He has written for several publications over the years. His articles have appeared in “The National Educator,” “The Free Magnolia,” and the “Southern Patriot.” I addition he was the editor of, and wrote for, “The Christian Educator” for several years. In addition to The Copperhead Chronicles, Al also maintains Revised History.

He is currently a member of the Confederate Society of America and the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and has, in the past, been a member of the John Birch Society. He is the co-author, along with Walter D. Kennedy, of the book “Lincoln’s Marxists” and he has written for several Internet sites as well as authoring a series of booklets, with tests, dealing with the War of Northern Aggression, for home school students.

Mr. Benson is a highly respected scholar and writer and has graciously allowed the family of Kettle Moraine Publications to publish his works. We are proud to have his involvement with this project.

He and his wife now live in northern Louisiana.