Bernie Sanders, is, some believe, very close to Marxism. Sanders is not the Nordic-style “democratic socialist” he sometimes claims to be. During his political life Sanders stated that he was so “excited” about Cuba’s communist revolution; when the United States was containing communism in Central America, Sanders flew to Nicaragua to lend credibility to the Marxist Sandinistas; as a young man he and his wife honeymooned in the Soviet Union and came back full of praise for it. Practically, Sanders favors nationalizing major industries such as higher education, healthcare, and even the internet, programs that fall well outside the mainstream of U.S. politics and more closely resemble the central planning committees in Cuba and Venezuela. Long-time Democratic spokesman, James Carville, in a public tiff with Sanders, said “[unlike you], at least I am not a communist.”
(Peter Jones – truthxchange) The term “socialism” is on everyone’s lips right now. Most of the Democratic presidential candidates accept and use it as a benign political term, while voters look to it in hope for a less cynical or heartless society….
They see the vast incomes of the super-wealthy and wonder about economic justice. That’s a fair question, but do they truly understand what socialism represents?
Since the Sixties, radical university professors have consciously created a breeding ground for optimistic socialist students. Charmed by the idea of the wealthy selflessly sharing with the poor, they align their motto with that of Karl Marx: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” American university graduates whose education has not secured them a well-paying job often identify the cause as unfair capitalism. They remember the professors who proposed a view of socialism as a selfless and culturally optimistic solution to re-organize modern life. Guilt-inducing socialism creates the problem of victimhood and the existence of the Marxist notion of oppressors and oppressed.
This kind of socialistic sharing can sound very spiritual, even Christian. The New Testament exhorts believers to “share with the Lord’s people who are in need” and to practice both hospitality (Rom. 12:13) and generosity (1 Tim. 6:17-18). Indeed the early church at the very beginning seems to have been practicing a form of socialism/communism where “All the believers were together and had everything in common” (Acts 2:43-44 NIV). However, stepping back, this was an unusual situation where the masses of new believers in Jerusalem at the beginning of the church, “filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles,” were giving less thought to material needs and eventually needed help from those with means. This general sharing was not a long-term solution because, in the end, it resulted in poverty and Paul had to seek financial offering from the Gentile churches “for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem” (Rom. 15:26). In fact, no systematic socialist structure is ever taught in the New Testament, only the goodness and usefulness of responsible work, which allows Christians to help those in need (Eph. 4:28).
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