The Problem with Democracy

by Pastor Paul Wolff

God's Heavenly Kingdom is not a democracy

God rules perfectly for the joy and benefit of all.

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Several years ago in a Bible Study at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dearborn, Michigan, our current senior Pastor, Joel Baseley, paraphrased Plato’s The Republic when he said something like this: “The problem with democracy is that a simple majority can approve whatever they want. If one vote more than 50% agrees to approve something immoral, then what is immoral becomes law, and the society deteriorates.”

Pastor Baseley’s brilliant paraphrase is even more remarkable when you read The Republic. Because of the question-and-answer style of the prose, Plato is not easily quotable. The first time I read through Book 8 on Democracy I did not see where Pastor Baseley got his quote from. Only a closer reading showed that it is accurate, though Plato’s reasoning is subtle. Plato’s character of Socrates looks at the strengths and weaknesses of Democracy from many different points, and evaluates each one in depth. Also, maybe it is just me, but I frequently found it hard to follow. Sometimes the Socrates character would seem to ask questions which would lead to obvious false answers, but it is possible that he was just exploring the assumed truths of his day in order to show them false.

Nevertheless, in The Republic, in the dialogue between Socrates and Adeimantus (in Book 8), Socrates also notes, “see how sensitive the citizens become; they chafe impatiently at the least touch of authority and at length, as you know, they cease to care even for the laws, written or unwritten; they will have no one over them. … Such, my friend, I said, is the fair and glorious beginning out of which springs tyranny.” Here Plato shows that as long as the majority in a Democracy are willing to elect and submit to good, wise rulers then things will be fine and good, but once the majority refuses to submit to the benevolent elected rulers then they will elect tyrants to rule them. It might seem counter intuitive at first for this to happen, but like all the great ancient philosophers, Plato had a very good understanding of human nature, and his conclusions still explain people’s behavior 2,500 years after he wrote it. This is why modern people ought to read the ancient classics (in addition to the Christian Holy Scriptures).

Our national motto ought to be a way of life for all people.

There are some (mostly Americans) who think that democracy is the same as freedom, but that is not even close to being true. In the rare cases where democracy upholds freedom it is because other societal influences help make democracy work. We saw the failure of democracy when U.S. President George W. Bush conquered Iraq after the attacks of September 11, 2001. President Bush was naïve to think that democracy would solve all the problems of that predominantly Muslim country which had been ruled for decades by a tyrant. For anyone paying attention it was clear from the start that democracy was never going to work there, and it would quickly devolve into an Islamic hell (i.e. hell for everyone, including the followers of Islam), which it did. One of the problems there was that Islam isn’t just a religion, but it is also a system of government. Those who follow Islam have already given up their freedom to their religious leaders, and the citizens will not rule themselves wisely.

Americans have found that a system of democracy in a predominantly Christian nation with well educated and informed citizens is the best way to ensure freedom and prosperity. But the problem with democracy is that it only takes one vote more than fifty percent of the populace to turn freedom into tyranny and slavery, and prosperity into poverty. Though in practice, it may take far less. In the United States, it apparently may take as few as five votes to take away our freedom. Five people out of three hundred million, and we no longer live in a democracy, but a tyrannical oligarchy. It only takes five people if those five are Justices of the Supreme court, and their grab for power goes unchecked.

Another problem is when the government keeps secrets from the people about things which they need to know. In a democracy, we, the people, must have enough of the relevant information in order to make wise decisions, and when we don’t have it, or have the wrong information, then democracy is thwarted. Likewise, when the news media keep vital information from the people, or gives them false information, then the people cannot make informed decisions, so the majority makes ill-informed decisions. This is why wise people are so upset by “fake news”, which are news companies pushing propaganda instead of news.

Another of the major flaws of Democracy has to do with lawmaking. In a pure Democracy a simple majority (one vote more than half the voters) can determine what is legal and what is illegal. This would work fine if a majority of the people have the good of all people in mind when they make the laws. However, we live in a sinful world, and sinners are naturally selfish. Selfish people tend to want what they think is profitable for them, but is not necessarily fair for all people. When such selfishness is codified in law this creates not only an inequality in the society, but it creates an injustice. If someone desires to make something immoral legal, then all they need to do is convince a simple majority of the voters to vote for it, and it becomes law.

There is a funny scene in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie (“At World’s End”). The pirates convene a court, and the rule is a simple democracy, but with a stipulation that the pirates can elect a king. The winner of the election doesn’t need a majority of the votes, but whoever gets the most votes wins. It is explained that the pirates have never elected a king because all the pirates only vote for themselves. This is a major fault with democracy. If people only ever vote for themselves and their interests over the general good of the society as a whole, then they will choose unwisely and make foolish decisions, and the society will suffer. A society of pirates is dysfunctional at the best of times, but when the whole society has a pirate mentality then that is bad for all of us.

The residents of this house have filled their brains
with strange chemicals and aren’t thinking clearly.
Voting for yourself is selfish,

and leads to a society full of pirates.

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This “pirate mentality” illustrates the Biblical doctrine of Original Sin. Original sin is the sin we all inherit from our parents going all the way back to Adam and Eve. We sin because we are corrupted by original sin. Though some Christians would deny it, it is clearly taught in the Bible, and it is easily seen in society. No one has to teach children how to be selfish, it comes naturally because they have been corrupted from the time of their conception. In Psalm 51:5, King David noted, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This did not distinguish David from anyone else on earth (except Jesus), but it is common to us all. We see the result of original sin in the corruption and violence of the people who lived before the great flood in the days of Noah. In the early days (see Genesis 6), the people were distinguished between the Sons of God (those faithful to God) and the children of men (the unbelieving descendants of Cain), but gradually even the believers were seduced to wickedness and unbelief. The result of their unbelief was great violence upon the earth (Genesis 6:11). The people did what they wanted to do (see my August 2018 article, How to Avoid Going Your Own Way to Hell) which was democratic in its way, but it resulted in violence and evil. Original sin makes simple democracy end in tragedy sooner or later.

Our inherited sin (Original Sin) corrupts all our governments and all our interactions with people.

In the Bible God does not prescribe any particular form of government for all people. We are encouraged to submit to the worldly authorities as much as we can, though, in case of conflict with God’s law, “We must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29). If we are forming a government ourselves, then we can take some lessons from how God organized Israelite society after the Exodus in the days of Moses. We should be careful how we do this, however. Many of the laws and ordinances of Ancient Israel were unique to them, and were prophetically and typologically pointed to their fulfillment in Christ, so that the Israelites (or those in Israel who still believed God’s Word) would recognize the Messiah when He fulfilled them. Once Jesus fulfilled the prophetic laws (such as becoming the One, true, atonement sacrifice which paid for the sins of the world) then those laws were no longer required to be practiced by believers.

When God first gave the Ten Commandments to the people, He began by saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) Here God was telling the people to obey Him first of all. There is no democracy in this. We don’t get to choose what is right and what is wrong. God created us and knows what is best for us. God’s Law is right and best, and when our laws are in line with God’s Law then they are good and right. If our laws contradict God’s Law, then it doesn’t matter if the whole world elects to approve something immoral, it is still wrong.

If all the people and all the leaders put God first, above all else, then we would have a truly good and just government, and a peaceful, obedient, productive citizenry who govern themselves well. Citizens who govern themselves well are well governed. However, citizens who do not control themselves well require a much stronger government to maintain peace and prosperity. Note also that when God gave His commandments He reminded the people of His love for them. God is the one who rescues His people from slavery and captivity. God’s primacy in our lives, and in our governance isn’t just because He is our creator and God (though that is sufficient), but that He cares for us and rescues us from tyranny and oppression, along with sin and death, too.

There will always be inequality in society because people have different abilities, capacities, talents, desires, and the like. If the law is fair to all people, then people can prosper in a fair way according to their abilities and desires, even if it is not all equal, and that is enough to make people content. If the law unfairly favors some people over others, then those who are favored will prosper out of proportion with their abilities, and others will fail to prosper while working much harder to make a living. This is always unjust, and results in slavery, or serfdom, or oppression.

If we live by God’s Law then we can rule ourselves wisely first, and we can likewise choose wise people to govern us.

Sinners like to imagine that if they were God they would make laws that only benefited them and enslaved all other people. God’s law doesn’t work like this. God is holy and just and righteous and loving, and His law is good for all people. God does not need, nor does He desire, to make us His slaves. It is true that there is much talk in the Scriptures about serving God. For example, Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” But because God loves us and wants what is best for us, serving Him results in our freedom from worldly oppression and enslavement. Psalm 37:28-29 says, “For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” It seems counter intuitive to our sinful, selfish minds, but serving God not only makes us free, but it results in our salvation from sin and death. Although God made us to serve Him, He loves us as His children, and it was out of that love that God became a man in Jesus Christ and lived a humble life of service to God, the Father, and us, in order to redeem us from our sins.

Sinners often rebel against God’s law because they imagine that they would be better off serving themselves than God. However, the sinful nature is a wicked taskmaster, and the person who is his own master actually enslaves himself to his base desires and is much worse off than the person who serves God. It is a paradox, but the one who serves God is free, while the one who serves himself is enslaved. Psalm 34:9-10 says, “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

In the United States of America we have been fortunate that our founding fathers were wise in creating the laws of our land to make them fair, and instituting checks and balances on abuse of power so that they would stay fair for a long time. This, combined with a basis of Christian (or Christian influenced) rationalism which encouraged strong education, made sure that the voting citizens made and kept good laws which were generally fair.

God’s Commandments do not bring us salvation, but they are given to us for our good and can lead us to lead peaceful lives with our neighbors.

The laws of the United States were never perfect, but it was our laws that made the American people free enough to become the greatest country on earth in the 20^th century. It actually took a great deal of effort, however, to get there. The practice of indentured servitude in the 18^th century colonial period eventually became permanent slavery in some of the states, though not all. In the states that permitted slavery the majority of voters determined that it would be profitable if a minority of the population would be a permanent slave class. In some sense, this profited the slave owners greatly, and even some of the free men who didn’t own slaves may have profited to a lesser degree. However, when it came to the Civil War, the North won because it had prospered much more than the South because all citizens were free. The Union not only had greater wealth and manufacturing abilities, but it had a population who cared enough for the concept of freedom and “justice for all” that large numbers of their men were willing to volunteer to fight and to die to bring freedom and equality to all people in the Confederate states, not just a certain class of people. It is also true that, after the war, poor Federal oversight allowed Southern Democrats to keep some vestiges of oppression and slavery alive for a full century after the Civil War in the “Jim Crow laws”, but even then, the impoverished citizens were free to migrate north and prosper in the boom times of the 20^th century.

The last verse in the Biblical book of Judges says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” In America we might be tempted to think that this is the democratic ideal, but in truth this is democracy gone wrong. American history shows that our forefathers rebelled against a tyrannical king and set up a better government in place of King George III, and that government included a form of democracy. However, the refrain in the last four chapters of Judges that there was no king in Israel is not a statement of what was right in Israel, but it is a condemning statement. God was Israel’s king, but the people kept turning away from God so that He sent their pagan neighbors to harass them and steal their food and belongings until they repented and turned back to Him as their true King. Also, everyone doing “what was right in their own eyes” is not the democratic ideal, but it is anarchy.

Doing “what is right in your own eyes” is sure to bring calamity on yourself. When we live righteous lives according to God’s law then we can live at peace with others.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, when the U.S.A. was prospering, they did not do “what was right in their own eyes”, but they generally did what was right. When the evil of slavery became too entrenched in the economy of the South, tens of thousands of free white men from the North answered the call to take up arms against their brothers in the South and fought and died to make all men free. This was not doing “what was right in their own eyes” because none of the men who were maimed or died in the American Civil War wanted to lose their arms and legs or die. It was not profitable to be permanently disabled or dead, but they did what was right because it was the right thing to do in God’s sight. It was also the right thing to do for their children and their descendants who followed them. If Americans could enslave a whole class of people just because of a particular shade of their skin, then they could enslave other classes of people such as those of a different shade of their skin (as some 21^st century American racists are now openly calling for!) or for any other reason.

The Southern slave owners in 19^th century America (and those who secondarily benefited from the free labor of the slaves) only did what was right in their own eyes. It is much more profitable to hire a slave than to pay the man what his labor is truly worth, so that seems right in the eyes of sinful people. It is not right in God’s eyes, however, and we can see that, in a way, the American Civil War was God’s punishment of the U.S.A. for allowing the evil of slavery to endure for too long.

Even worse than the evils of slavery is the evil of abortion which goes on in the United States to this day (as I write this). God have mercy on the United States when He calls our people to account for the evil of abortion. Under slavery, it was neither common nor profitable for slave owners to murder their slaves or their children. However, the evil of abortion is that many Americans think they have the “right” to murder their children so that they can use the money and resources they should be using to raise their children for their own profit instead. This was not enacted democratically, but by the illegal fiat of seven tyrants on the Supreme Court. However in the 46 years since that wicked decision, no democratically elected President, nor Congress, nor subsequent Supreme Court, nor Constitutional Convention has seen fit to right that wrong. As a result, our country is divided as it has not been since before the Civil War. As the beginning of God’s judgment, our country is being invaded by illegal aliens and neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have the will to stop it because they both have significant factions who want to enslave the illegals, or otherwise take advantage of them. There are growing signs elsewhere that the United States is headed towards another Civil War, or worse. Though that may yet be far from a necessary conclusion, we still seem to be heading on that path in 2019 as I write this.

In the days of Noah, the people did what pleased them, but this brought God's condemnation on them. Noah submitted to God and was saved.

When sinners do “what is right in their own eyes” they are sure to commit evil, wickedness, and sin. That is what the corruption of sin does to our human nature. The result is anarchy, rather than benevolence and prosperity. The genius of the American democracy for the first 175-200 years or so of our nation was a great education system based on Christian principles. The U.S. Constitution makes allowances for people’s sinful nature by putting into place checks and balances on all levels of the federal government. When that works it does not let any one branch of government (neither the Judicial branch, nor the Executive branch, nor the Legislative branch) act in a tyrannical way over the other branches. When the Constitution does not work (due to corruption or ignorance of those in power, or even those citizens who participate in the democratic process) then evil abounds and democracy cannot rescue the people from tyranny because the power to do what is right has been taken out of the hands of good people. Plato is quoted as writing, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” This is why we have checks and balances in our constitution.

God has certainly blessed the United States in the past 250 years. We ought not to take that as an endorsement of democracy. God had His own purpose for our nation, and if we continue to rebel against Him, then He could easily turn His back on us and let us destroy ourselves in civil war, or let a foreign power conquer us or otherwise take control. If God sent the ancient Assyrians to conquer the 10 tribes of Israel and the survivors were so dispersed and assimilated into the peoples of where they were sent that they have disappeared as a distinct people since ancient times, then God would have no problem doing something similar to an unfaithful America. In that case democracy will not be our salvation, but it could be our undoing.

There is much good about the democratic system of society, but it is not in itself the answer to all problems. It is much better at recognizing basic human dignity and personal property than socialism or communism. It is much more free than a monarchy or tyrannical dictator. It is much safer and prosperous than anarchy. Democracy gives people a chance to participate in their governance, and lets them convince others of the rightness of their cause, but without other controls in place, a democratic system can be turned into tyranny when a majority of voters act in ignorance or malice, as sinful people are likely to do.

I should also note here that democracy is not equivalent to protesting. Marching for a cause to inform voters about the rightness of your cause can possibly aid democracy, but it is not necessary for democracy. Just because people are marching in protest for something, it doesn’t mean that their cause is worthy or right. Depending on your cause, the informed voters may reject your cause as being immoral, or otherwise not good for society. You can protest all you want, but if your cause is wrong the voters are free to reject your cause as immoral. That is democracy working as it ought.

The scriptures are clear that believers always have to fight against evil and for what is good, right, and proper. Often the fight begins within ourselves against our own sinful nature. It is not natural for sinful people to want to do good and work for the benefit of others. It was not easy for Jesus to win our salvation either, yet He did it. Though He is the almighty, eternal, creator of the universe, He had to live a humble life and endure the scorn and hatred of His sinful people, and let them nail Him to a cross and crucify Him until He died. But, in doing so, Jesus paid the punishment for our sins, and won for us life and salvation forever. Fortunately we didn’t get a vote to say if we wanted that or not. Both Jew and Gentile sinners turned against Jesus and had Him put to death, but God used that to win our salvation so that Christ gives life and salvation as a free gift to all who trust in Jesus to forgive them from their sins. God’s vote is the only one that counts, but He has elected to save us from our sin, rather than to punish us as we deserve. This is not a bad deal at all. It is the best deal in the world. If people insist on rejecting God’s gift of forgiveness in Christ, then He will let them condemn themselves to torment in hell, but why would anyone do that? It is much better to receive the gift of Jesus and all the eternal blessings which go with it. Whatever we may suffer in this wicked world is small and fleeting compared to the blessings of eternal life in paradise with Jesus.

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See also my article on “The Problem with Socialism”  

See also my article on “The Problem with Sexual Politics”

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You can read The Republic by Plato online at 
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html

The Chapter on democracy is here: 
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.9.viii.html 

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The Problem with Socialism

by Pastor Paul Wolff

“The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked (ends) in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” (Proverbs 11:23-24) 
 
The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he’s in prison. -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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God commands individuals to be charitable, not governments.

I remember seeing a bumper sticker which read, “I think, therefore I am not a socialist.” There is much truth in that, yet there are many people who think themselves intellectuals who favor socialism. It takes more than a thinking mind to understand that socialism is a wicked system to order society. It also takes a caring heart (not a bleeding heart).

Socialists in the United States (and other Western countries) have been pushing their wicked agenda in schools, TV, movies, newspapers, magazines, and the news media for many decades, but there hasn’t been much serious public discussion about the implications of the socialist worldview and political agenda. Ever since the unexpected success of socialist Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 United States presidential campaign there has been much more public interest in the U.S. in the ideas of socialism. If you recall, Senator Sanders might have won the Democratic nomination for president if it hadn’t been for the Clinton controlled “Democratic” Party rigging the primaries to help Hillary Clinton win the nomination. Since then, in 2018, an openly socialist, naïve young woman from New York was elected to the United States Congress.

Socialism has never been very popular in the United States because we have a history of both Christianity and good education where people are smart enough (and free enough) to learn the weaknesses of socialism, and reject it. Both of those things are changing due to many decades of socialist indoctrination of students by unionized teachers in schools and universities. The result of this is that socialism seems to be gaining in popularity in our country.

Christians ought to be charitable as Christ is charitable to us.

It is no surprise that the Democrat Party is the one which is pushing the socialist agenda. Socialism has its roots in liberalism, and can be seen as liberalism pushed to its logical extreme. One definition of the term “liberal” is “generous”. That sounds good at first, but the problem with liberalism is that liberals aren’t particularly generous personally, but they do want to be seen as “generous” when they have control of other people’s money and possessions. Socialism takes that to the extreme so that the late British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, is famously known for saying something to the effect of, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” The truth of this shows the first problem with socialism, which is that socialism is fundamentally thievery. Socialism is thievery because it takes the wealth and income of those who work to earn it and gives it to those who do not earn it.

Adam and Eve stole what was forbidden and condemned us all to die. Jesus gave up everything He had and redeemed us from death.

In a way, the first sin of Adam and Eve involved thievery. It was primarily idolatry because God had said, “Don’t eat the fruit of this one tree,” and their eating was rebellion against God, but it was also stealing what didn’t belong to them. God had given them all the food in the whole world, but reserved for Himself the fruit of one tree in the Garden of Eden. God did not need the fruit for food, but neither did Adam and Eve – since they had plenty of good food to eat, but as long as Adam and Eve obeyed God’s simple command they showed their trust and obedience to God. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit they combined stealing what didn’t belong to them with idolatry because they listened to the lies of the devil and thought they knew better than God what was good and what was evil. In this way the name of the “Tree of the knowledge of good and evil” worked backwards from what we normally think. As long as Adam and Eve obeyed God and did not eat the forbidden fruit they could properly distinguish between good and evil. However, once they gave themselves to the temptation and stole and ate what was forbidden, then they lost the ability to distinguish between good and evil. After the fall into sin, what people think is good is often evil, and what is truly good for us is often seen as evil, and we have a hard time telling which is which.

The premise of socialism is that it purports to desire to make everyone equal. In practice it accomplishes this by making everyone impoverished, except for the ruling tyrants. There are always ruling tyrants in societies which practice socialism, because the system can’t work without a totalitarian government enforcing this unnatural social structure. There is little or no concept of personal property in socialism, but all things are shared among everyone. I remember a few years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union I spoke with a young man who was from the former Soviet Union (from one of the Baltic nations, as I recall), and he said that during the Soviet days there was no concept or teaching of the Seventh Commandment (“You shall not steal.”) as a command from God. It was a revelation for them to learn this concept once they were free from socialism. The Seventh Commandment assumes that there is such a thing as personal property, and that it transgresses God’s will to obtain someone else’s property in a dishonest way, or, as Martin Luther explained in the Small Catechism, in a way which only seems right – like a governmental Robin Hood-like redistribution of wealth. In this way socialism is fundamentally opposed to Christianity, and God’s created order.

The Good Samaritan used his own money to help the man injured by robbers.

Because the Seventh Commandment assumes private property, we know that God wants us to work for what we have, and to keep and take care of our possessions. Saint Paul wrote, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) This shows that whenever possible each person is responsible for providing for his own personal needs, like food, clothing, and shelter. Note that this does not apply to those who cannot work, but only those who will not work. Elsewhere St. Paul (and other prophets and Biblical writers) encourage Christians to charitably support their neighbors who cannot work due to disability. St. Paul writes to the Ephesians (4:28) “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” This also condemns the ideology of socialism, and also implies that God gives His people more than they need so that they “have something to share with those in need.” This shows why democratic free market economy works in Christian societies (and not so well in non-Christian societies), because Christians are encouraged by Scripture to charitably share their excess with family and neighbors who are unable to care for themselves. They don’t need the Government to take care of the poor because they are cared for by their neighbors directly until they get back on their feet financially.

Here one might object and say that in the Acts of the Apostles the church of the Apostles lived in what seems like a socialist community. “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:44-45) This is true enough, but it is not a small thing to note that they did this voluntarily, and their actions were not coerced by the Apostles or the governing authorities. When Ananias and his wife Sapphira were killed by God (Acts 5), it wasn’t because they withheld their property from the community. They were free to sell their property and do with the proceeds as they saw fit, even keeping all, or part of, the proceeds for themselves. Their crime was that they made a show of selling their property and saying that they had given ALL the proceeds to the church, while they actually kept some of the money for themselves. They died because they were liars, and they pretended to be holy to make people think they were better than they actually were. God showed everyone what they really were like (i.e. dead).

The Magi gave valuable gifts to Jesus. This helped the holy family in Egypt, and also foreshadowed Christ’s suffering and death.

Socialism is fundamentally opposed to the natural order of things because it tries to make everyone equal. Although God created everyone equal in His sight (as the U.S. Declaration of Independence stated – referencing common God-given rights), not everyone is equal in all things. Some people are smarter, others are less intellectually capable. Some people are stronger, others are weaker. Some people are older, others are younger. Some people are wiser and others are more foolish. Those who are more capable can rightly command a higher pay because they can do more good in society than those less capable. There is nothing evil or wrong about this. The wickedness of socialism can be seen if you say that everyone should have the same wage when one can do more or better tasks than another.

Wherever socialism enforces equal outcome, rather than equal opportunity, there is no incentive for people to work hard or be innovative or entrepreneurial. If I am going to be paid the same as my neighbor no matter how hard I work, then why should I work harder than my lazy or incompetent neighbor? This shows the unfairness of a system which pretends to be equal for all people. If you have educated workers who can think logically and reason deductively and have a free choice, then they would never choose socialism over a free market.


Socialism dehumanizes people. No matter how talented you are, no matter how hard you work, no matter how good a job you do, under socialism you are no more valued than the least talented, laziest, incompetent hack. You can never get ahead because it is unnaturally forbidden by law, or social norms, or whatever is enforcing the socialist ideal. In this way capitalism is better because it rewards people for a job well done, or for doing a task that is greatly needed, but is not able to be accomplished by many people. In a Capitalist society there is real incentive to do the best that you can do with your talents and effort. This values people much more than a system which says that no matter how much you can do, or if you can do something that no one else can do, you are not worth any more than anyone else.  

Christianity says that you are precious to God. Even though you are a sinner and deserve only God’s wrath and punishment, God loves you and has redeemed you from your sin through the life and death of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter if you are a newly conceived one-celled person, or if you are a life-saving doctor, or if you are a brain injured quadriplegic, you are precious to God. God proves His love by becoming the man, Jesus Christ and living a full life from conception to death to resurrection in order to rescue you from the consequences of your sin. Although some may say that this sounds like a socialist ideal, the Bible is clear that God gives different gifts to different people in life. Some are more able to contribute to society than others. What makes Christianity different from socialism is that since you are precious to God then Christians ought to consider others precious also, and as much as we can have a say, should promote a society that treats its citizens the same way. Socialism is not the way to treat humans in a loving way.
 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus lived a humble life, even though He was God incarnate. St. Paul describes it by writing, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8) Jesus demonstrated the love of God by becoming a man and forsaking the glory and honor and power and riches of His Heavenly kingdom, and He not only lived a humble life, but He offered His life as an atoning sacrifice to redeem sinners from the curse of our sin. St. Paul also described it this way to the Corinthians, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) Many Christians throughout history have lived humble lives in imitation of Christ’s humble life. Jesus also warned His followers, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25) They responded “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” And yet, there are many believers in the Holy Bible who were blessed with great wealth, such as Abraham, King David, Job, and others. Wealth is not itself an evil. St. Paul warns Timothy about putting his trust in wealth when he wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10) Money is not evil, but people fall into evil when they love money and make it their idol.
 
Those who favor socialism are either the uneducated who are manipulated into thinking that this is a good deal, or the elites who seek to take advantage of the ignorant workers. The elite socialist politicians want to be seen as helping people, but they don’t actually want to help people succeed. We see this in socialist societies where the people are not described as “citizens” but as “workers.” In other words, those who view citizens only as “workers” really view their neighbors as “slaves”. Their only value to the centralized government is in the work that they can provide, not in themselves as unique persons with their unique strengths and weaknesses. If they can not provide labor, then they have no value to those who control the government. In socialist countries the people who form the government are slave masters and the people are slaves. In 20^th century Communist China, Mao Tse Tung dressed in peasant-like outfits (custom tailored to fit his fat ass), but he lived in luxury off the labor of his enslaved people.

Zacchaeus responded to Christ’s kindness to him by promising to return what he had stolen and give generously to the poor. See Luke 19

There are a couple of key scenes in the 1965 movie Dr. Zhivago which beautifully illustrate the evils of socialism. Early in the movie Dr. Zhivago is seen living in a beautiful mansion which is well appointed and well maintained and looks bright and cheerful. Although I think that house belonged to his wife’s father, a successful doctor ought to live comfortably as a reward for a highly skilled career which provides caring service to the lives and health of his neighbors. Later, after the Bolshevik revolution, he is shown entering the same home, which is now also the home to several other families who didn’t pay to live there, and don’t care to maintain the house, or keep it in good condition. The house is stripped bare of its beautiful furnishings, and is dilapidated, run down, dark and dismal, and filled with ill mannered people who don’t care about Zhivago and his family, or one another.

Another aspect of Dr. Zhivago that shows the evils of socialism is that Yuri leaves his wife to live with his lover. While this is by no means something that only happens in socialist societies, it does show a temptation of what can happen when all things are held in common and there is no personal property. People can view their personal relationships in the same way and want to take someone else’s wife (or husband, respectively) for themselves. This is by no means the norm even in socialist countries. A majority of people will still regard the marriage covenant as sacred, but there will be a strong temptation to view other people’s spouses as common property, since everything else is held in common. This can happen especially among the ruling class, who view the people as slaves anyway. They can abuse their authority to tempt someone else’s wife to be unfaithful with the promise of a more comfortable life, or coerce with the threat of mistreatment of the woman’s husband if she doesn’t comply. Such is the terrible wickedness of the sinful heart.
 
Because socialist societies are, by necessity, run by totalitarian dictators or central committees, the workers are not free to make decisions about how their companies are run, even if it was their company to begin with. The government plans the economy, but a central government cannot foresee or react to customer needs or market trends or changes in a timely manner, which results either in overproduction of unwanted products, or in scarcity. I have several Russian made camera lenses from the Soviet era which I purchased cheaply in the early 2000’s because during the Soviet years they overproduced these products because the factories had government quotas to meet, but since they did not update the pre-WWII German Zeiss designs after they captured the East German factories after the war, there was not as much demand for the lenses as there was supply. These items can still be bought inexpensively because there were so many produced.

Overproduced, underdeveloped camera lenses are a trivial problem, but what wasn’t trivial was the Russian famine which happened in 1921-1922. Because the Bolsheviks took control of the farms and the food produced by the farms, there was widespread famine and millions of people are reported to have died from starvation. Farming is hard work under the best of circumstances, and farmers who can make a profit from their labor work hard to get the highest yield while carefully farming in a sustainable way so that they can make good profits year after year. In a planned socialist economy the farmers have neither the incentive to work hard, nor to take care of the land, and because the output of the farms is controlled centrally, in times of scarcity the elites get fed first, while the worker/slaves are left to starve. The freedom of American farmers to manage their farms and sell their produce as they see fit is why the United States has been long known as the “breadbasket of the world” and continues to be so. The current U.S. regulations which promote industrialized farms, however, may be good for low prices, but I believe it may not be good in the long run for farmers, nor the small rural towns which support agriculture, nor for the country as a whole, but that is a topic for another time.

Money bag for giving to the poor. When God gives us more than we need we are to give generously to those in need.

In many ways socialism is more materialistic than free market capitalism, and much more oppressive. Socialism only values what people have, not the people themselves, nor their talents and ingenuity and resourcefulness. In doing this, socialists do not recognize the true wealth of any society. The money and things which people possess is a limited resource, and its value is not as constant as the socialists imagine. As is shown in the movie, Dr. Zhivago, when you take the material of the rich and give it to people who didn’t work for it, they despise it and do not maintain it, and its value and usefulness is quickly destroyed. Things which are so valuable in a free society, quickly become worthless in a socialist managed economy. In a free market, people who are more capable, or who have talents and abilities which are in demand, are able to earn more, and thus they work harder, and the society as a whole benefits, and is made richer. Also, when people earn and own their own things, they take better care of them and maintain them and their value and usefulness remains longer.

Because socialists are naturally atheists, and not Christian, they do not trust people to be charitable and generous to those in need, so they say that the government must care for the poor instead of their own family and neighbors. In a predominantly free Christian society, where people are able to earn more than they need, they are generous with their charity and the poor are well cared for until they can get back on their feet and provide for themselves. Sometimes people will say that poverty causes crime. That is false. During the great depression in the United States in the 1930’s after the stock market crash of 1929, unemployment was about 25% of those of working age for quite some time, and people cared for one another. Crime did not rise as much as poverty because most Americans were Christians and they lived honest lives, and the poor were content to live off the charity of others until they got back on their feet financially. The post-war economic boom was a result of people who had lived through the depression and the war and wanted to work hard to make a better life for themselves and their families, and they were willing to work hard to do so as long as they were properly rewarded for it.

Christianity does not necessarily require a certain political or social structure. Christians can, and do, live in all societies, even where it is illegal for them to practice their religion openly. Christian principles do tend to favor good and just practices and rule out certain unjust practices where we have a say in how things are run. The Christian worldview is more honest about human nature than the worldview which leads to socialism. Christianity teaches that all people are naturally sinners whose selfishness needs to be curbed by laws and penalties for expressing that selfishness, through stealing, greed, and other sinful deeds. Not only is Christianity more honest about the sinful, selfish nature of man, it is also more compassionate, forgiving, and encouraging, even to unbelievers. Christianity teaches that all people are sinners and selfish, and that is why the United States Constitution sets checks and balances on each of the three branches of government to curb the power grabbing tendencies of each. We have been historically weak curbing the judicial tyranny, and that is where our government is weakest currently, but we pray that will be set right soon. Many Christians (and others) are working to accomplish true justice and lawfulness in our judicial system, but we are not nearly there, yet.
 
It is no coincidence that Christians were very prominent in the abolitionist movements in Europe and America. It wasn’t only Christians who were against slavery, but Christianity played a prominent role in abolishing slavery in the 19^th century in many places.

Jacob favored Joseph, but Joseph’s brothers envied him and sold him into slavery. Joseph forgave them and saved them from famine.

Holy Scripture is somewhat ambivalent about slavery. Nowhere does the Holy Bible endorse slavery, but God recognizes that because man is sinful they will wickedly enslave one another, and God set limits to what His people were allowed to do. In Leviticus 25:42-43 God says, “Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.” God also says that slaves were to be treated as hired workers, more like indentured servants than property, and after seven years they must be set free. God also gave a provision that if a servant wished to remain as a slave in the household (presumably because he was treated well and paid fairly for his work) there was a public ritual to make that arrangement legal and permanent.

Also the New Testament is likewise ambivalent about slavery, recognizing that it exists in a sinful world, but setting limits on the evil. St. Paul writes, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” (Ephesians 6:5) But he also sets limits on the masters when he writes, “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Colossians 4:1) Here both slave and master are called on to be good Christians. St. Paul also writes, “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you – although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:21-23)  

The operating principle in both the Old Testament and the New Testament is that we are all servants of God and we ought to serve one another in love all the time, but as Christ has humbled Himself for our sake even unto death (see Philippians 2) for our benefit, we are free men in God’s sight, even if we live as slaves here on earth. It was this sort of teaching which in 19^th Century United States made the Christian American slaves much more noble than their wicked masters. This is why the character, Uncle Tom, in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, resonated so much with white northern Christian abolitionists that they supported the Civil War and tens of thousands of free Northerners fought and died to make all Americans free men.
 
St. Peter writes, “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:18-21) Sinful man may be cruel, but Christians are to be kind and forgiving even to the most wicked person. Jesus is our example in this. The first words He spoke after being nailed to the cross and lifted up to be crucified is, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Christians ought to befriend the homeless to help people to support themselves again, not to make homelessness a permanent condition.

Socialism is certainly an evil system of ordering society. Christians, however, can and do live peaceably in such societies serving their neighbors in love, while ignoring the atheistic requirements which necessarily are associated with socialism. Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) In following this command, Christians work hard in their jobs and vocations to provide good things for their neighbors, even if they are not well compensated for it, knowing that their true reward awaits in heaven. This is no excuse to mistreat your Christian employees, because they will ask God to curse you for the grief you cause them, but it is one reason why socialist societies function for as long as they do before they see their inevitable collapse. It is hard for Christians to do what is right in a sinful world. That is why St. Paul writes, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Christians take the long view of life, and know that if Christ endured suffering and death for our sins, we can endure a little unjust treatment at the hands of sinners. Eternity is a long time, and the sufferings of this life are only temporary.

Ultimately, the problem with socialism is that people don’t trust that God will provide us with daily bread, and we are too greedy to share what we have above our needs, so we look for worldly solutions. Such worldly solutions are bound to fail because of all people’s sinful nature. People are selfish and will tend toward solutions which benefit them, personally, but will harm their neighbor. Socialism is just such a worldly solution.  

Jesus also has other teachings against the ideals of socialism. He said, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12) This would prevent us from taking our neighbor’s hard earned possessions for ourselves, or sanctioning the government to do the same. If God has blessed me with great talent and skill, and has rewarded me commensurately for my use of these gifts, then I ought to be able to determine how I use my wealth to also help my neighbor. Christian Americans are generally wealthy people (from a worldwide perspective), but they are also generous to those in need. Governments, and people exercising power within governments, are not always wise in how they use public funds in giving aid to people in need. They often give money to people who don’t need it, or who misuse it, and they often take some of the money to enrich themselves before anyone in need sees a (much smaller) benefit. Government corruption is yet another reason why enforced socialism is a wicked system.
 
There is no perfect form of government because all people are sinful and some will attempt to work any system for their own benefit. However, socialism has many flaws which are inherently wicked and cannot be redeemed. The institutionalizing of thievery and slavery can never end well in any system of society. Socialism makes many good-sounding promises, but because it is inherently evil, it will never fulfill its promises nor even its best intentions.

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

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Other Bible Verses which Speak Against Socialism 

“Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.” (Proverbs 14:21) 

“The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” (Proverbs 11:23-24) 

“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)  

Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32-34) 

 “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:8-10) 

 “Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.” (Proverbs 17:5) 

 “Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.” (Proverbs 22:16) 

“Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.” (Proverbs 22:22-23) 

  “Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the short ephah (a weight measure), which is accursed? Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights? Her rich men are violent; her people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully. Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword. You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil on yourselves, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.” (Micah 6:10-15)

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See also my article on “The Problem with Democracy”  

See also my article on “The Problem with Sexual Politics”

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