Thus falls the first accusation which Socialism and Communism brings against the Christian religion and Church. For the real Christian Church is not an ally of oppression and tyranny, but her enemy, and a faithful friend of the poor, the oppressed. [page 58]
A second charge that Communism and Socialism brings against the Christian religion and Church is this one: The Christian Church has shown that it is not able to improve the miserable situation of the poor man; it is not able to abolish the wrong relationship between employer and employee and to bring it to the point where every person in this world can enjoy his life.
And it is true, my brothers: indeed, through Christianity the old system of oppression has not been abolished. Not only has the natural evil in the world not been removed by Christianity, but since Christ came into the world, the world has continued in its wickedness. But can one demand and expect this effect from a religion? Is not religion there to show and establish man's [1947-76] right relationship with God and with another life? The church, also religion, should show what the right relationship of a man to another man consists of and realize it. But it can do it only in its own circle. Or should the church interfere with politics and the laws of social life? Is not the use of physical violence exactly what is completely contrary to the nature of the Christian Church and religion? If the true Church were to do this, it would be doing on the right side what the false Church of the Papists did on the left side, and what the true Church rejects and condemns. [Again, reference to Papists is stripped out!] Therefore, it is a blatant injustice to blame religion for what is neither its right nor its power to do or to eliminate.
And secondly, where the true Christian religion really does take hold of a human heart, it changes the relationship between man and man, and indeed improves it. This improves the relationship of the rich to the poor, of the rulers to the governed, of the employers to the employees, of the higher to the lower. We have already seen in the last hour that true faith, where it takes possession of a heart, has this consequence. For when terrible misery fell upon the first Christian congregation in Jerusalem, with the sword hanging over the head of every Christian as if on a hair, the Christians held everything in common; no one said of his own that it was his own, but each only made sure that no one was in want. And so it will be everywhere where truly true Christians are born, who not only carry the faith on their lips but also have it dwelling in their hearts.
Incidentally, every one will admit that one can make a final judgment about the power and effect of any matter only after one has made a test. Well then, may the Socialists and Communists put true Christianity to the test, i.e., [page 59] may they become true Christians: what is the point of this? Then they themselves will admit that in Christianity there really is a divine heavenly power to transform man, and thus also all relations among men; then they would see that if Christianity became a common good, though not the diseases and infirmities of life, not crop failures, not misfortunes, not death and other natural evils, would be removed thereby, but they would see that Christianity would put an end to the tyranny of the tyrants, would put an end to the selfishness of the employers and would make them charitable, so that they would look more to the benefit of the worker than to their own, [1947-77] would also put an end to the envy of the poor and make them content.
The Socialists and Communists will probably laugh at this; few will believe it, and therefore will remain in their misanthropy, i.e. in their enmity for mankind, and thus also in the feeling of their unhappy situation. But, dear brethren, we Christians believe it. Why? We have experienced it and we still experience it daily: Christianity has this power. Not only does it make you blessed for eternal life, but it already makes you blessed in this world, as it is written in Psalm 128 [:1-2]: “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” We not only read this in the Scriptures, we have experienced it. Indeed, this is so for what Asaph says in Psalm 73[:25-26, 28]: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, … it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.” —
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Concluded in Part 20 - - - - - - - - - - - -
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