I am a Christian, and I am a
Socialist.
You may read those two
statements with some bewilderment, and you may wonder – wasn’t it Marx who said
that religion was the ‘opium of the people’? Doesn’t the ‘C’ in ‘CDU’ stand for
Christian, and don’t most Christians vote conservative? While all these things
may be true, I believe that Christianity and Socialism are, in fact, not
mutually exclusive. I will argue that a coalition of Christianity and Socialism
is not only possible, but desirable. I will now proceed to argue this claim
from two perspectives – one philosophical, and one moral. It is then up to you
to draw your own conclusions.
Capitalism and the Worship of Greed
Capitalism is more than a way
to organise the political economy, it is, in fact, an ideology. The ideology of
Capitalism presumes that we live in a world ruled by self-interest. The dynamic
of the economy develops as the result of the greed and selfishness of every
human being. Every decision is based on self-interest, and everyone is
attempting to gain as much as possible for themselves. As a result, models can
be developed, which attempt to predict human decisions. If we assume that every
actor in a situation will always attempt to maximise their profit, human
decisions become foreseeable. The natural world is bound to laws, and the
behaviour of human beings too, is determined by laws. Capitalism thus views us
like automatons in a machine – our behaviour is in essence no different from
that of a computer, dictated by the algorithm of self-interest.
You may read this, and you may
think that this is not too far from reality. The truth is though, that it
removes the ability of human beings to make their own decisions. Free will
becomes an illusion, implying that we can no longer be held accountable for our
choices. Capitalism is the ultimate apology for greed, selfishness and pride,
which Christians see as the worst of human vices.
Historically, Christians have
debated intensely about the idea of predetermination. In fact, I have recently
read the Epistle of the Ephesians, which seems to suggest that salvation is indeed
predetermined (Ephesians 1, 5). However, why would God send prophets to Israel to
warn them what would happen, if the Israelites did not change their ways? Why
would Jesus call on us to have faith, and to show our faith through our actions,
if we have no choice about it? Free will seems to be at the very heart of
Christianity.
A machine-world that is
pre-determined is alien to Christian theology, for it would portray God as
unjust, having created the world knowing full-well that he would plunge us into
misery. I can only believe in a just God, if he allows us to make our own
choices. I therefore feel that Christianity is philosophically it odds with the
logic of Capitalism, allowing me to embrace an idea that allows humanity to
choose its own destiny.
Socialism and Christianity
There is something that has
always struck me when I read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where Luke often
portrays a utopian society of believers. Private property does not seem to exist,
for everything is shared out among the entire community:
“All the
believers were together and had everything is common. They sold property to give
to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2, 44-45).*
“All the
believers were one in heart and mind. No one claims that any of their
possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. […] And God’s
grace was so powerfully at work in them all, that there were no needy persons
among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them,
brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was
distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4, 32-35).
Other books of the New
Testament also speak of a social responsibility of people who do well
materially:
“Our desire
is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there
might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need,
so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,
as it is written, ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one
who gathered little did not have too little’.” (2 Corinthians 8, 13-15).
You may call me old-fashioned,
but my definition of Socialism is very similar to the Biblical depictions of
early Christian communities. Material success in a capitalist society depends
on a number of factors. In our society, being male for example, and coming from
a well-educated family, multiplies your chances of making lots of money.
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| Jesus as a Socialist? |
For me as a Socialist, the
long term aim of humanity should be to bring about the emancipation of every
human being from all kinds of oppression. Humanity ought to escape the shackles
imposed on it by capitalist determinism. Everyone should have to chance to live
his life as he wants, and everyone should be able to use her gifts.
Even in the EU, which is the
part of the world with the highest income-equality, this is not the case, and
social mobility remains limited. On top of that, three billion human beings do
not even have access to clean drinking water. I believe that the only way to
provide for the fair distribution of resources is to authorise a central authority
with that task – the state. By that I do not mean a Soviet-style undemocratic
dictatorship, but a welfare state in which basic services are public property
(such as energy, water, banking, traffic infrastructure, public
transportation), and in which large private companies function as Mondragón style co-operatives.
The implementation of this alternative way of organising society is what I
believe the medium-term goal of Socialist parties in Europe should be. I
believe that these goals are achievable and that they are in line with Biblical
ideas. The establishment of the Socialist society can go hand in hand with following
the guidance of Jesus.
Overcoming Old Misconceptions
Christianity and Socialism are
two world-views that have remarkably similar political implications. Despite
that, many Socialists have historically shown animosity towards Christianity,
and vice versa. It often strikes me as hard to believe that Marx so radically
misjudged the nature of Christianity by mistaking it for the nature of the
Catholic Church. One of the major tasks of early Socialists was however indeed
the emancipation from the bondage of organised religion. Socialists today have
to beware not to equate the message of Jesus with that of the Church.
Christians, in turn, have to
overcome their apathy towards politics. Charity is good, but it will not
fundamentally alter the structural problems in human society that cause poverty
and human suffering. It is only through political action that poverty can
really be alleviated. It is heinous that Christian political engagement today
is limited to debates about same-sex marriage, abortion and stem-cell research.
The most important commandment of our Lord is to love our neighbour as we love
ourselves – how can we follow that commandment without attempting to change the
way our society is organised?
“But if
anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart
against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (ESV – 1 John 3, 17)
I place great hope in political
action that is inwardly fuelled by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and
Christianity that is outwardly enriched by the political principles of
Socialism. The antagonism that has long separated Christians and Socialists has
got to be overcome.
Harald Köpping
*All quotes from Bible apart
from one are taken from the New International Version.
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