Comm13-X†3: No Personal Property? No incentive, no justice

      This continues from Part 12 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — Walther makes a perfectly reasonable point about incentives to work and no one can misunderstand it.  Everyone would agree that the better worker deserves the better reward… except the Communists. — Walther then teaches, in accordance with Scripture, that the power of the sword only belongs to the authorities.

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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. Red highlight indicates omitted in 1947 translation.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 13, p. 44-45)

The third reason why even the first men recognized from reason that personal property [1947-60] is also necessary for earthly happiness is this: because without personal property the incentive is missing, which most men need if they are to work honestly and hard. Why do so many people work from morning till night? Because they want to bring in something for themselves. Of course, this is not the right motivating force. Christians should not be induced to work diligently because they want to earn something, but they should do it for God's sake, because it is God's command and order. But most men work merely to earn something; some may not be working for money and goods, but for honor and prestige and fame. This incentive is taken away from man as soon as his personal property is taken from him.

The first generation of men were also brought to the introduction of personal property by the sense of equity that lived in them. This tells every man that as the work is, so should the reward be. He who works diligently, faithfully and successfully should also receive more for it. But as soon as men enter into such a society, in which the profit of common work belongs to all, the true equality, which justice requires, ceases to exist.

And now completely, what would become of art and science in a Communist state? Whoever wanted to study astronomy, for example, or worldly wisdom, or even theology, or architecture, or painting, would be regarded by many as an idler. Why? Because he does not earn money for society through his science and art. In a Communist state it would undoubtedly have happened to art and science.

And finally a religious need lives in every man.  [page 45] But while a number of them do not want to know anything, the others have within themselves a certain urge to serve God. The Communists freely say: “Yes, in our Communist state no religion is to be practiced; above all, we do not want teachers of religion, they are all to be banned.” But what good does it do them if they also decide that? They will never again banish from human nature the need for religion, and if man had not heard anything about God from his youth on, if in such a state this would always have been concealed. Conscience would wake up. But the Communist state would not provide the means to build churches and hire preachers of the Gospel. [Communist China is practically banning Christian teaching and worship.]

All these were already the reasons why, [1947-61] after God had given the whole earth and all that is in it to mankind, the first men did not live in a community of goods, but distributed all goods among themselves and introduced personal property among themselves.

This is of course true: personal property is also associated with great dangers and evils, as we unfortunately see around us every day. But here the authorities should intervene to ensure that not a few devour everything. And this is also punished in the whole of Scripture in the most serious way. Thus, for example, the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 5:8) says: “Woe unto them that join house to house, field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.” Admittedly, this outrages everyone when they see how a few people buy the land away and make it more expensive. Unfortunately, here in America we have had the experience that the authorities, instead of putting a stop to these farmers, support them in the strongest possible way. The railway companies, as you know, have been given millions of acres of land belonging to the United States to carry out their projects. This is quite disgraceful. Because if a poor man wants to buy good land, he cannot get it for the small price the government would have sold it for. [Some might brand Walther a liberal!] — That may be enough, in the first place, for what is cited in the Scriptures to justify Communism.

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      Walther's comment against the US government's takeover of land to sell it to the railroads for a "small price" sounds like a populist politician!  But note well that Walther approaches this practice from a Scriptural basis, and I learned from the prophet Isaiah that God does not favor the unjust rich.

      Walther speaks approvingly of the fields of "art and science".  Luther also was a friend of these, although both theologians would not promote what passes for modern "art", "music", and speculative "science" calculated to overturn Holy Scripture, e.g. Evolution, etc.  I enjoy good art, music and proper science… but these are largely drowned out in our modern world.