STATUE OF LENIN PULLED DOWN BY STUDENTS IN UKRAINE: An activist of an Ukrainian students organization installs a golden toilet on a pedestal where a statue of Lenin used to stand in Kiev on Feb. 3, 2014. (ANATOLII BOIKO/AFP/Getty Images)
Friends, I had an article being posted last time at www.splendorofthechurch.com.ph (Catholic Apologetics) about communism. This article can be seen also on the Splendor of the Church Fan Page
The title of the said article was :
COMMUNISM CONTRADICTS THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH, BIBLE, AND THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
Link:http://www.splendorofthechurch.com.ph/2016/01/09/communism-contradicts-the-teachings-of-the-church-bible-and-the-rights-of-the-individual-by-lawrence-luna/
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia and I had a discussion about this matter. Below are the arguments we had presented on this issue.
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Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia: This article is misleading and does not know the theory behind communism (which is Marxism-Leninism, Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and also others but entirely based on Marx-Engels).
Bro. Lawrence Luna:This article is not misleading since this article uses the Bible and it is a word of God. if its true that this article does not know about communism, no reason for this article to be published.
Hindi naman pwede magpublished ng article na di alam ang mga pinagsasabi. Kaya na publish ito because we know about communism. Eh di naman reliable yung communism kasi idea lang iyan ng tao, yung sitas ng Biblia na ginamit ko mula sa Diyos sa pamamagitan ng autoridad ng SANTA IGLESIA CATOLICA.
Pinalalabas na dahil misleading ang article, lalabas na misleading ang Bible verses. Mali po iyon.
Eh may kasabihan na by friuts you shall know them, halimbawa yung npa is having the communism type of government eh bakit ganoon nangugulo? Pumapatay pa nga mga sibliyan na inosente. eh see yun palang sira na ang communism.
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia:Bottomline, bago i-criticize ang komunismo pag-aralan muna ang theorya, basahin ang mga texto ni Marx, Lenin at Mao Zedong bago gumawa ng kahit anong evaluations ng failures or successes ng komunismo.
Bro. Lawrence Luna:Take note we are not looking for theory here, we are looking for facts which we can use to make ourselves and the country progressive. Theories frankly speaking have possibilities to commit error.
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia:Furthermore, may mga Kristiano na naniniwala sa komunismo. Kailangan lang basahin ng mabuti ang kritisismo ni Marx ukol sa relihiyon sa tamang konteksto at huwag puro bumper sticker quoting ang gawin.
Bro. Lawrence Luna: O see nabangit kritisismo ni Marx ukol sa relihiyon eh ibig sabihin may pagtutol si Marx kaya tama ang article kasi kung totoo na hindi included sa criticism ang religion, bakit nasabi “basahin mabuti ang kritisismo ni Marx ukol sa relihiyon sa tamang konteksto”?
See very clear against sa religion si Marx kasi kung hindi pa eh ba’t magcriticize pa siya sa religion kung hindi naman ito kasali?
Oo may mga naniniwala na kristiano kasi mga tao na iyon that were being misleaded by the communism principle.
Maaaring ang mga taong ito ay walang alam sa Communismo and Christian in name, not in deed but that is their choice if nagpapadala sila kasi ang tunay na kristiano ay hindi nagpapadala sa mga maling prinsipyo ng communismo.
Sorry kapatid no personal but you are just defensive psychologically speaking. Then ang article is just telling directly to the point, hindi yung mga walang patutunguhan na usapan.
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia: Ad Verecundiam: Do you think the bible is the best way to argue against an idea or any idea for that matter? In this case, is the problem with communism a basis of citing a few verses?
Bro. Lawrence Luna: Yes because we have to remember that the Bible is a word of God and He is all above than men to be followed (Acts 5:29), not communism. Also, the Holy Bible will be use as the way on how are we going to know God’s will for us and for correcting our mistakes. It also talks about morality and goodness for all people.
2 Tim 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
Take note that despite of the government who governs the people, all of us are subjected to God because the moral laws comes from God.
The Bible, which contains the word of God, is the best way to argue against communism because communism disregards the importance of religion in the lives of the people. Moral laws comes from God ( 2 Tim 3:16).
Communists believes on morality and for the good welfare of all. How come they reject religion but at the same time believes on morality, freedom, and good welfare of all people which can be seen in the religion? See, Communism already contradicts with its teachings.
No doubt that the Catholic Church opposes communism because it opposes man’s freedom to freely exercise religion and other rights. Remember that each person has the right to make his/her choice (Ecc 11:29) in connection with religion and other matters which communism rejects.
To prove that communism really contains contradictions on their principles and to support my arguments, here are the proofs:
Manifesto of the Communist Party
by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels
February 1848
A Communist Confession of Faith
Page 37
“What is the aim of the Communists?
To organize society in such a way that every member of it can develop and use all his capabilities and powers in complete freedom and without thereby infringing the basic conditions of this society.”
Bro. Lawrence Luna: Very clear stated that their aim is that “every member of it can develop and use all his capabilities and powers in complete freedom and without thereby infringing the basic conditions of this society.”
Part of our freedom is to exercise religious freedom, our rights, and other matters in connection with humanity. They said to have complete freedom.
How come they contradict their own words? Another proof:
Manifesto of the Communist Party
by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels
February 1848
A Communist Confession of Faith
Page 40 and 52
“Do Communists reject existing religions?
All religions which have existed hitherto were expressions of historical stages of development of individual peoples or groups of peoples. But communism is that stage of historical development which makes all existing religions superfluous and supersedes them.
“What will be its attitude to existing religions?
All religions so far have been the expression of historical stages of development of individual peoples or groups of peoples. But communism is the stage of historical development which makes all existing religions superfluous and brings about their disappearance.
Bro. Lawrence Luna: See, they contradicted their own words and directly violates the rights of the people especially in exercising their religious freedom. In this case, where’s the complete freedom since they mentioned it in page 37 of this book? See, again they contradict their own words.
No doubt that because of these principles, the Catholic Church in China and some parts of the world are persecuted because the communist government don’t allow the Catholics to freely exercise their faith just what happened in China where the communist government were the ones who choose priests to be consecrated as Bishops which supposed to be that it is the Pope who will appoint and approve.
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia Red Herring: The issue here is to engage in the problem of communism not whether it is man-made or god-made.
Bro. Lawrence Luna: Yeah I’m in the right track because I am discussing here I my article on engaging the problem of communism.
Also, it is important to know whether it is man-made or God-made because we have to make it sure if it violates the moral/divine law of God or not and as well if it violates the rights of the people or not.
Here you can see the difference between a law that is according to God’s law and a law that is made by communists which its aims to disappear the religion in the lives of the people.
Mr. Jose Ruben Garcia:You are evading the issue. Clearly, you have not read the context of Marx’s argument. The critique of religion is part of Marx’s criticism of Hegelian philosophy. While Hegel sees religion as one of the moments of consciousness’ actualization because of its social scope, Marx sees it as a cultural control enacted by those in power to control the superstructure, controlling the people with false notions of liberation and salvation. It means: capitalism is simply using religion as a means for it to remain in power so that people won’t question the status quo.
Bro. Lawrence Luna: I am not evading the issue because if I did it, no reason for me to present this article refuting the Communism. Therefore, I’m facing and not evading the issue of Communism. Religion is one of the things emphasized here because the communism directly hit the religion and as a response the Catholic Church will respond on this issue.
Still Karl Marx made a heretical statement because religion is not a cultural control enacted by those in power to control the superstructure, controlling the people with false notions of liberation and salvation.
Remember if there are some political leaders who use religion to maintain their power, that is already their fault, not from religion nor religious leaders, and most of all, not because of democracy.
Religion is not a cultural control regardless if it is popular or not because in the first place we have this what we called the separation of church and state.