"Shouldn't all Christians be socialists?"
Sometimes I want to beat my own brains in with a hammer. This question.... THIS STUPID QUESTION that seems to come up in almost every discussion about Christianity and politics.
This is Part 2 of my series on Christian Anarchy. If you're interesting in following this series, please begin with Part 1.
This topic is taking me on a bit of a bunny trail from the main question - Can a Christian be an anarchist? But it comes up so often I need to address it. Just to get it out of the way. I'll start be giving a quick rundown of this argument:
Jesus Was a Socialist and You Should Be One Too!
The evidence:
1. Jesus told a rich man that the greatest commandment is to "love your neighbour as yourself." Then he told him:
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21 (NIV)
Jesus believed in giving up your riches and sharing the wealth with the poor. This is the main focus of socialism.
2. Jesus healed the sick without charge. Do I need to cite a verse? There are so many occasions of this you can look it up yourself if you don't believe me. Clearly Jesus would have approved of universal healthcare.
3. On more than one occasion Jesus fed the masses. Again, this was free of charge.
4. Jesus taught that those who do the same as Him (heal the sick, feed the hungry) would be rewarded:
"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward."
Matthew 10:42 (NIV)
5. Jesus taught that greed (a capitalist vice) can keep a man out of heaven.
Gorram capitalists.
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
Mark 10:25 (NIV)
6. The early church, following the teachings of Jesus was socialistic.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke breadin their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)
It is clear that the teachings of Jesus are consistent with the philosophy of socialism. From each according to his ability to each according to his need. This is how Jesus lived and his church followed this example.
Rebuttal
I've seen this meme pop up on many libertarian Facebook pages. Honestly, this is almost all that's needed by way of rebuttal.
Yes, Jesus championed the virtues of love and charity while condemning greed and selfishness. He fed the hungry and healed the sick. His church gave to the poor and shared everything. But all of this was done voluntarily. Socialism requires the violent coercive force of the state to achieve this kind of "equality."
Jesus told his followers to live virtuous lives marked by love, sacrifice and giving. He never once told them to pass these responsibilities on to a group of violent oppressors. That idea flies in the face of everything Jesus taught.
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~Seth