Comm4: Reason, Nature, Experience 1: Men are not equal

      This continues from Part 3 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — Walther now presents an outline for the points he will cover in the body of his lectures. He begins then using reason, nature, and experience to convince even non-Christians against Communism and Socialism. Even before he uses the Scriptures he uses convincing logical arguments to bring people to their senses in these matters. What makes him so convincing is that he does not mis-state or exaggerate the goals of Communism, he uses their own arguments. — I had to laugh at Walther when he jokingly said, after stating his enjoyment at being a theologian, that others might consider it "a dog's life"! Thank God! for the "dog's life" of Walther!

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Translation of Walther's 1878 Communismus und Socialismus by BackToLuther primarily using DeepL online translation service; highlighting and bolding are my emphases, red text within square brackets [] are my comments, underlining is Walther's emphasis.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 4, p. 12-16)

Why should and can no reasonable man, let alone a Christian, take part in the efforts of the Communists and Socialists?

I. Because they are against reason, nature and experience, for

1. it is a fact that men are not equal to each other;

2. it is a fact that men are selfish by nature;

3. it is a fact that happiness does not consist in earthly advantages;

4. it is a matter of experience that the Communists never achieved their goal and caused only misery and heartache. [page 13]

II. Because they are against Christianity, for:

1. What is cited from God's Word by them proves nothing, or proves the opposite. — It is urged:

a) that according to the Scriptures, God gave the whole earth and what is in it to man;

b) that the first Jerusalem congregation had practised a certain community of property;

c) that Christ not only warned against seeking riches, but also commanded: “Sell that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have [1947-24] treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” Luke 18:22;

d) that according to Christ's teaching the workers in the vineyard should receive equal wages.

2. The aspirations of the Socialists and Communists are also contrary to specific doctrines of Christianity:

a) the doctrine of personal property contained in the seventh commandment and elsewhere in Scripture;

b) the teaching contained in the fifth commandment and elsewhere in Scripture that only the authorities have the power of the sword;

c) the teaching of the sanctity of marriage contained in the sixth commandment and elsewhere in Scripture;

d) the difference among people, as confirmed in Scripture, not only

a. between parents and children, man and woman, master and servant, housefather and day laborer or worker, but also

b. between rich and poor;

e) the doctrine of the Scripture that God wants to draw man to Himself through all kinds of adversity, test him and prepare him for eternity;

f) the doctrine of Scripture that man should eat his bread in the sweat of his brow;

g) the doctrine of Scripture that man should seek his happiness not in this world but in God and in the hope of retribution and reconciliation beyond and for eternal life; and finally

h) the doctrine of Scripture that the source of all misery in this world is sin.

III. Because the accusation of Communism against the Christian religion and Church, that these hinder rather than promote the material well-being of man, is unfounded and unjust: [page 14] 

1. the accusation that she is the ally of wealth, oppression and tyranny, and

2. the charge that she is incapable of relieving the suffering of mankind.

So this is what is important if we [1947-25] want to get a clear picture of our position as Christians towards Communism and Socialism. — We are against the efforts of the Socialists:

I. Because they are against reason, nature and experience.

It is indeed madness to want to carry out something that is against reason, nature and experience. Already the old pagans said: “You can drive out Nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps on coming back.” *) Nature cannot be driven out, it has become identical with us, so to speak, i.e. we ourselves are our embodied nature.

Now, the first thing to consider here is this:

1. It is a fact that people are not equal with each other.

There are no two things in the whole world that are the same. These Communists, of course, do not believe in any god, but they have not yet abolished Him. And this great, almighty, all-wise God has even proved that He does nothing twice in the world. He did not do two identical things. There is not one leaf of a tree equal to another; indeed, there is not one dust particle [Stäublein] equal to another dust particle. Of all that exist, one is different from the other. God is therefore not a maker of things equal, but a maker of things different. Man cannot, to save his life, make two things equal. The principle that everything should be made equal is not founded in nature. We see this also in man himself. The one has a sharp mind, but he has no wealth of ideas, or a fruitful ingenuity; the one is healthy and strong, the other is a weakling; the one has special gifts for spiritual work, the other for mechanical work; the one has inclination for this, the other for a quite completely different thing; One is innately economical, the other innately extravagant; one is inclined to anger, the other to equanimity in all things; one must go a long way before he is angry, the other is angry at the slightest irritation. These are but a few examples; but now let us go through what we ourselves have experienced about the diversity of men, and we [1947-26] will be able to multiply it in terms of the most diverse mutual relations. It is therefore quite unnatural

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*) Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret. (Horatio, Epistles I, x, 24) [page 15]

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to want to create such a human society in which all would be equal. 

The Communists will not deny that, if they want to establish a Communist state, they may do so in one way or another, but they must establish something that will organize the community of people into a whole. But there must be governors and governed people. Therefore, as soon as they want to begin to realize their ideas, they must begin with the opposite, i.e. they must appoint rulers, and say: “You others must let yourselves be governed by these.”

But, the Communists might object, this is a consequence that is forced on us. We do not want to make people all the same, we just want to have equal wealth, equal pleasure and so on. Otherwise, we want to let people be as they are.

This objection is void. For equality in these things presupposes mental equality. For as soon as this is not the case, the Communists cannot achieve equality in ability and, above all, in joy. For they want equality of property in order to spread equal happiness in the world; but happiness is brought about in quite different ways in the immense diversity of men. The one needs this for his happiness, the other that. Some people think: “if I were in this or that situation, that would be something terrible for me”; and others think: “Well, I don’t want to be in your situation”. I, for example, feel quite happy that I am a theologian; another thinks that if I had to sit over the books from morning to night every day, that would be a dog's life. (Walther’s joke!! ;-)) He doesn't want to be lazy, but he doesn't like this kind of occupation. There are, however, Communists who say: “Yes, if we establish such a Communist state, we would ask everyone what they want to do and what they have gifts for.” Then we would also say: You should tailor for all of us, you should make shoes, you should trade, and the like.” Who's going to say: “I want to sweep the sewers!” Who will say: “I have a special inclination for that!” No one will be able to find such an occupation. Or suppose we have a large hospital in this Communist state. [1947-27] Unfortunately the Communists cannot make people have the same in health. Above all, they should be able to do so, for that is primarily part of the happiness of the community, that one is as healthy as the other. So just imagine: A hospital where sick people are lying in bed suffering from the most disgusting illnesses. Day and night there is a terrible stench. One must fear that if one breathes in this air for only one hour, one will be infected. Now the Communist ruler will say: Who wants [page 16] to go and nurse the sick? Silence will be the answer. Everyone will say: “Why should it be me? There must be equality!” — and no one does anything about equality. Is that not quite foolish? It is easy to write and print on paper what a paradise it will be when everything is equal. That is what the Socialists believe; but only so long as they do not imagine what conditions would arise if their principle were to be carried out. What they imagine is nothing but fantasy.

Communism is nothing other than what Millennialism [Chiliasmus] in the Church. Communism is the Millennialism of the world. It imagines such a land of milk and honey, and thinks: Yes, if property will be common, then everyone has equal right to it, then it will be wonderful in this world. But one does not even consider that many other things are added which do not burden it at all. The Communists want all property to be distributed. But if today, through distribution, all are equal to each other, what will it be like tomorrow? One person locks the money in his dresser, another goes to the grocery store and drinks it, a third person might go to an even worse place and squander the money. Tomorrow, all equality ends.

The poor Communists! They well see that they are unhappy men; they feel vividly the misery of this world, especially now, in this terrible time, when thousands and thousands of people, however faithful they may be to their work, are unable to feed themselves and their own righteousness. They feel this, but they do not think about where it comes from. They have lost God, and with God the highest good, and therefore they have no consolation. Now people want to help the world, and they think that they will be helped by such institutions that all will be made equal, for they think that there is still so much wealth in the world that each one can enjoy life to his heart's content. But what folly! And even if all men were now willing, one would soon see that they would tire of being made equal with others. That is why it says here in the second place: [1947-28]

- - - - - - - - - - - - -  Continued in Part 5: The Third Proposition  - - - - - - - - - - - -