Was Christ a communist?

That's a nice title, and should set the cat amongst the pigeons!There's a long history of Christian communism, going back way before the modern secular and often atheistic or anti-theistic communism with which the word is usually associated today. Many have argued that the various forms of Marxism were born out of the Christian ethos.Here are two obvious examples of the kind of Biblical extracts used by Christian communists to make their point: (both King James Version)You can see the similarity between the first and the basic principle of all communists: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs".I think that Christian communists/socialists can draw very strong arguments from the teachings of Christ.So the topic for discussion is what the title says:
Was Christ a communist? And I'd like to hear the opinions of both Christians and others on the subject. The implications are that if he was, then all Christians should, of course, be communists.(Admin. If this passes as a topic, I suppose "social and religious" issues is the obvious place, but which of the sub-sections, I don't know. Biblical studies are involved, of course).

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

well, we know he wasn't an anarchist...i think it's just too easy to say that with how much he supported other people that he lived in a communistic manner. but we say this because he doesn't talk about having a house. he said he had no home city, but he never said he didn't have a house. but what does not having a house have to do with being a communist anyways?as to early christians, i think being more interested in other things than profit and property and becoming practically hobos doesn't really have anything to do with communism either. communism is an economic process. it's a theory of redistribution of wealth. but it means much more than charity donation.jesus told one man to sell all he owned and give away the proceeds. this is not communism; this is taking on a life of poverty and living to serve others. communism is working and sharing your wares or produce with the community.i don't buy for a second that to be a christian you have to be a communist or live in abject poverty. if you buy the scripture, paul doesn't support that, at least not with his words. also, consider all the wealthy businessmen in jesus' family, arimethea, magdalena, whoever had the wedding... it is vital to be more concerned with others than with self, i think, but that doesn't preclude having a business or making a living. but then many christians don't even give to charity beyond their tithe.

Communism isn't about living in abject poverty. It's more about attempting to end it. From each according to his ability to each according to his need is a bit like an extension of what's done in families and small groups of hunter gatherers.There's a strong tradition of arguing that Christians should be communistic. Take this, for example, from Not Found (My underlining, for those interested in America's Christian communist heritage)I suppose that the last phrase "It didn't last long" could be taken as meaning that true Christianity never really took off in America.Edited by bluegenes, : No reason given.

yes, and if you'd actually read my post, you'd know that i was talking about something completely different.being self-sufficient is an honorable goal. but you didn't ask if early american christians or benedictine monks had communistic societies, you asked if jesus was a communist. i answered your question.

Since this is Bible Study:

quote:

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Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

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I took your first post to mean that you thought Christ was not a communist. I suppose you think that someone who believes in share and share alike and clearly implies that a rich person cannot get to heaven is just communistical, but not a communist.Edited by bluegenes, : No reason given.

there's nothing communist about giving away all you own and living off the kindness of others.

haha. it can be done.still not a communist, though.Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

Jesus lived in poverty and advocated an austere lifestyle. I agree that that doesn't necessarily make Him a communist.I think the real question is: Was Jesus' message, "Sell what you have and give to the poor," meant to be universal? If everybody sells what they have, who do they sell it to?It seems to me that He wasn't saying, "Don't be rich." He was saying, "Don't be too rich."
He was advocating redistribution of wealth, not equality of wealth.

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I agree. But Christian communists like the Benedictines don't do that. That's more like holy men of the eastern religions.Christian communists work in their fields and workshops on a from each according to his ability to each according to his needs basis, and communities would expect to produce enough to feed others as well as themselves.That's communism. Christ and the apostles didn't hang aroumd with begging bowls, surely. They were working men, fishermen and a skilled carpenter, and would share their fish and loaves with others.Communists of a sort, I suggest!

So can I count that as one vote for Jesus not being a puritanical communist, but definitely being a socialist, Ringo?And if you agree, then surely that means that all Christians, who are supposed to imitate Christ and follow His teachings, should be socialists.

i completely agree. i'm just saying that the premise of the thread is whether he was a communist. clearly he was not.but you can't just pick out the things he said about selling all you own. you have to take it in context of the reality of his family and people he associated with and with other things he said and said about him. his uncle was the richest tin merchant in the world. his lady friend was also a phenomenal business woman and probably his biggest source of funding, whatever the nature of their relationship. mary and martha kept their own home and were still held in high regard. he will never ask more of us than we can bear. some of us can bear to live on meager means. some of us need to have a car. but none of us has an excuse against giving to those less fortunate. even the widow gave her very last mite. also, we are called to work and be responsible and provide for our families. so it is that there is a role in the family of god for those who can give all they own and go to the streets and care for the dying and also for the successful businessman who starts a foundation to heal the world. whether you are mother theresa or bill gates, you have a job and he has given you the tools to serve him. should the bill gates types live in a shack and cut out all their spending? why? god says he sometimes chooses to bless his followers financially. abraham was reasonably well off. jacob probably was since he could afford to move his family to egypt during the famine instead of staying and starving like the rest of the people there. job too had a pretty household.but human charity does not equal communism. communism is necessarily a nationwide economic program. jesus was demonstrably for acting outside of the government system. pay your taxes and then give to the poor also.

no. not at all.sharing is not a government program. the benedictines have a government. sure, a small, local government, but jesus specifically acted outside of any form of government. communism is a government instituted equalization of income. yes it's usually some kind of revolving door low-level oligarchy of sorts, but it is run by a government. this idea of a bunch of people who randomly live near each other and give each other stuff is silly. a barter system is neither communist nor is it what jesus was into.did jesus tell the rich people in the crowd on the hill to give their money to the poor guy sitting next to them? no. he fed everyone (i think because the markets were closed, right?). did he institute an income equalizing system among his followers? nope.

That's what I'm saying. If all of the Bill Gates types all lived in shacks, there wouldn't be any work building mansions. The carpenters would starve. It's up to each of us to decide how much of our wealth we keep and how much we pass on. Jesus' message was more about not being attached to material wealth than about not having any.

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