Socialism: Heaven on Earth?
In 1888 a socialist named Edward Bellamy published a book titled Looking Backward, 2000-1887. Though largely forgotten, the book sold more copies in its time than any other book published in America, except Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Its vision still haunts us today.
In the novel, a 19th century man, Julian West, awakes from a trance in the year 2000, finding that America has been transformed into a socialist paradise. Through his conversations with Dr. Leete, who awakened him from his trance, Julian learns how socialism created this heaven on earth. Dr. Leete explains the key to this transformation: “The industry and commerce of the country, ceasing to be conducted by a set of irresponsible corporations and syndicates of private persons at their caprice and for their profit, were entrusted to a single syndicate representing the people, to be conducted in the common interest for the common profit.”
By taking all the property from selfish individuals and putting it into the hands of a benevolent syndicate (aka state), all inequality was abolished and property-related crime disappeared. By making the nation the sole trustee of all wealth, men lived free of anxiety and peace reigned on the earth. Thus, socialism promised, and still promises, to create heaven on earth by taking property from individuals and giving it to a paternal state that will care for us.
Bellamy’s vision of a socialist paradise never materialized in America, or any other nation that embraced the socialist vision. The state entrusted with all wealth and property turned out to be less than benevolent. Solzhenitsyn in his Gulag Archipelago described the Soviet Socialist Republic as a totalitarian hell complete with torture, unjust imprisonment, and murder on a mass scale. Solzhenitsyn said, “Thanks to [socialist] ideology, the twentieth century was fated to experience evildoing on a scale calculated in the millions. This cannot be denied, nor passed over, nor suppressed.”
The socialists failed to understand the effect of placing all wealth and property in the hands of the 'benevolent' state. When they gave the state all the property, they gave them total power, not surprisingly creating a totalitarian state.
Germany also embraced Socialism, but Nazi socialism also resulted in a brutal totalitarian state. Is this simply coincidence? Is there something vicious in Russians and Germans, that is not found in Americans? No, the consistent testimony of the 20th century is that wherever socialism goes totalitarianism follows, even when it is Chinese, African, or South American socialism.
Why does socialism consistently lead to totalitarianism? The answer is found in the truth that property and wealth are instruments of coercion. Property is power. When placed in the hands of individuals and families this power is decentralized, limited, and checked. If, however, property and wealth are poured into the cup of the civil ruler and stirred with the sword of the state, it creates a Molotov cocktail that leaves rulers drunk with tyrannical power.
Contrary to the socialist scheme, God in his wisdom entrusted power over property to individuals and families (Ex.20:15,17), not the civil government. A man who is secure in his property has an area of liberty and dominion that is beyond the reach of other men. If no man or state can tax or take his property, then a man can enjoy liberty and security. Private property serves as protection against state power.
If, however, the socialist state takes all property, liberty is lost and men become slaves of the state. It turns out that socialism is the road to slavery.
The social order God ordained is best, for in this fallen world, the power of property is most safely vested in the hands of individuals and families. Christians, therefore, should oppose any efforts to put the coercive power of property into the hands of civil rulers. We should entrust to the state only enough wealth to carry out its limited function of punishing evil-doers, particularly those who steal private property and take innocent life.
The early socialists were deceived into thinking they could plant a better social order than the one God designed, but they reaped a nasty harvest. We should not be deceived again. Those who forget God and forsake his ways always reap a wretched harvest. Sin really is the cause of all human misery. We think we can forsake God's ways and benefit from it.
Solzhenitsyn sums it up well: “If I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: ‘Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’”
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Gal.6:7)