Marxism: Laws without God

In a talk titled “The Influence of Marxism in the United States,” Fr. John Hardon, S.J. defined Marxism as a “…godless religion in which its leaders believe… with a faith comparable to that of believing Christians.” He then said “The United States is the most powerful Marxist country in the world.” What did he mean by this? He meant that by excluding Divine Law from political discourse and legislation, the U.S. was subordinating Church to State, and spreading Marxism. Note: Marxism is a philosophy of life; Communism is its political implementation.

Fundamental Marxist beliefs are that:

• There is no God.

• Since there is no God, there is no supernatural eternal law: “Man is the Supreme Being for man.” (Marx) “We deny all morality taken from super-human or non-class conceptions.” (Lenin)

• Matter is the only reality.

• Human life evolved from matter.

• Human progress is determined by economics. We are evolving toward an earthly paradise of equality.

• Progress toward this Earthly paradise can be accelerated by sharpening antagonisms and fomenting violent conflict.

• Reaching this Earthly paradise requires the abolition of private property.

• The family must be abolished--- marriage creates loyalty to spouse and kin, not to the State.

• The State, not parents, must control education, determine who shall teach, and what they shall teach.

Marxist beliefs and morality prevail when, for example, public schools teach evolution, when abortion is legal, when two people of the same sex can “marry,” and when we are told that by bringing God into a legal discussion, we are violating “separation of Church and state.”

In contrast to this, George Washington, in his Farewell Address said, “With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion… Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports… let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.”

So too, Martin Luther King, in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail wrote, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.” 

Now their words would be interpreted by some as an attempt to impose a “theocracy” on the United States, and their advocacy of specific laws based on eternal law as “hate speech.”

Marxist philosophy put into practice is called Communism. Communist countries such as China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela show us the result. A common characteristic of these repressive regimes is massive indoctrination and ruthless suppression of any ideas or actions that might threaten totalitarian control by the Communist party. An ironic second characteristic is that Party members and their close associates enjoy privileges and perks not shared with the proletariat.

The Christian philosophy of life is directly opposed to Marxism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1) teaches that “God… freely created man to make him share in His own blessed life… He calls man to seek Him, know Him to love Him with all his strength.” Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” (John 14:15) To the extent we as individuals and we as a society strive to live according to God’s law, we will have a more peaceful and just society. To the extent we ignore the Laws of God, we will have chaos, injustice and disorder: “They shall sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7)

It is imperative that we oppose the spread of Marxism and Communism. In his book, Communism and the Conscience of the West, Bp. Fulton Sheen recommends ways to do this: He says we must treat those who hold these beliefs with kindness and charity: they are made in the image and likeness of God. We should support moral politicians and groups that oppose Marxist stratagems. We should work to strengthen the family and parents’ rights as primary educators. Instead of supporting state ownership of property, we should support more individuals owning property. Instead of state ownership of businesses, we should encourage distributism, or localism, i.e., employee ownership and a share of profits.

Bp. Sheen also reminds us that the battle against Marxism/Communism is not primarily economic or political, but spiritual, and that in 1917, Our Lady of Fatima, the Blessed Mother, warned that the “errors of Russia,” (atheistic Communism) would spread unless there was penance, prayer and reparation. Mary recommended praying the Rosary daily, personal consecration to her Immaculate Heart, and Communion in reparation on the first Saturday of each month. So let it be done! To quote Bp. Sheen: “Spiritual regeneration is the condition of social amelioration.”  

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