KING'S BUSINESS PROPHECY FEATURE
Messianic Aspects o f Communism
by Arnold D. Ehlert, Th .D ., M.S.L.S. Librarian, Professor of Library Science, Biola College
I s communism a religion ? The answer to that question might be both “yes and no.” Communists vigorously denounce religion, but in this, as in other areas, paradox seems to pose no problem for them. Many of their basic tenets and practices reveal a close similarity to religious tenets and practices. Professedly, communism proclaims in its Manifesto that it “abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience” (Chap. H ). Nicolas Berdyaev, one of the keenest analysts of the Russian mind, declares that “the typical Russian cannot go on doubting for very long; his inclination is to make a dogma for himself very quickly, and to surrender him self to that dogma whole-heartedly and entirely” ( The Origin of Russian Communism, 1948, p. 47). Christopher Dawson observed of the communists, “They have a creed and a dogma, they have an ideology and a social philosophy, a code of ethics and moral values. Finally they form a secular Church, a community of believers with its own very highly organized hierarchy of institutions and authorities” {The Catholic World, Jan uary, 1956, p. 251). Coming from a Catholic writer, this is an interesting observation. R. W. Iverson wrote, “Quite apart from any revulsion against the materialism of communist doctrine, a convic tion exists that communism is, in effect, a surrogate religion complete with scripture, priesthood, church, and a vision of paradise” ( The Communists in the Schools, 1959, p. 313). It is not difficult to find in communist writings paral lels and counterfeits to most of the major divisions of systematic theology: a body of authoritative writings (the scriptures); a concept of the state as approaching the concept of divinity; a veritable incarnation in the form of Lenin (one Russian guide told a visitor once of Lenin, “We see him often; he truly lives in our hearts”) ; a very definite doctrine of man (humanistic); a very clear and forceful concept of “sin” and “evil” and con fession of it; redemption (a desire to convert all peoples to the “truth” of dialectical materialism); even the red flag is considered as representing the worker’s blood; a security that comes only from complete submission to and trust of the state; and a strong eschatology. It is some of the aspects of this last doctrine that we want to examine. One of the most prominent features of Biblical escha tology is the kingdom age, or the millennial reign of Christ, with its promise of good things. Communism also has its “golden age” in which it promises all kinds of wonderful things. Most cultural and religious systems have had such a doctrine of better things in the future. Nicolas Berdyaev advised, “If we take a deeper view of history we should be able to see that messianism, true or fadse, open or disguised, is the basic theme of history” (The beginning and the End, 1952, p. 200).
Perhaps we do not usually think of inevitability as a theological doctrine, but the Bible has much to say as to the certainty of the fulfillment of the prophecies concern ing this coming age. The prophet Hosea said, “His going forth is prepared as the morning” (6:3). Rotherham renders this: “His coming is certain as the dawn.” Jesus said, “If I go . . . I will come again” (John 14:3). A speaker recently threw new light on this when he said that this statement was truer today than when Jesus ut tered it. How can that be possible, you say? This Jesus said before He went away. He did go away, and is now preparing a place for His own. This should now properly be understood as, “Since I went away (as I said) I will come again (as I said).” One of the basic manuals of communism, the 890-page Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism, was translated into English and published in Moscow a couple of years ago. From this book we quote: “Never in the history of class society has the ruling class believed in the inevitable doom of its system. . . . The Marxist science of the laws of social development enables us not only to chart a correct path through the labyrinth of social contradic tions, but to predict the course events will take, the direction of historical progress and the next states of social advance. . . . Marxists have no fear of the future. They represent the class to which the future belongs.. . . Thorough mastery of Marxism-Leninism gives one a profound conviction not only of the correctness of the worker’s cause, but of the historical inevitability of the coming triumph- of socialism throughout the world. . . . Life without a progressive world outlook—can any in telligent person accept that today?” (pp. 17-20). The manual contends that “even its general contours show that the communist system from its very first steps realizes the most cherished aspirations of mankind, its dream of general sufficiency and abundance, freedom and equality, peace, brotherhood, and co-operation of people. This is quite natural because the ideal of communism goes back deep into history, into the very depths of the life of the masses. Dreams of this ideal can already be found. in folk tales about the ‘Golden Age’ that were composed at the dawn of civilization” (p. 873). Further arrogance is seen in the contention that “it is with the victory of communism that the real history of humanity in the loftiest meaning of this term begins. . . . And although mankind has existed for many thou sands of years, it is only communism that ushers in the era of its full maturity and ends that prolonged pre history when the life of each man individually and the life of society as a whole were shaped by alien forces, natural and social, which were beyond man’s control. The victory of communism enables people not only to pro duce in abundance everything necessary for their life, but also to free society from all manifestations of in humanity: wars, ruthless struggle within society and injustice, ignorance, crime and vice. Violence and self- interest, hypocrisy and egoism, perfidy and vainglory,
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