reflections on communism

[frandroid]

If the Church worked so well as a system to ensure obedience and the good functioning of the economic system, why did Marx reject it? Think of the awesome power of Catholicism and Communism banding together instead of opposing each other. The social gospel would have achieved total world domination, creating a new Eden on Earth.

Ahem. Still...?

Comments

[poetofthefuture.livejournal.com]

Isn't that what liberation theology is all about?

[see-my-glock.livejournal.com]

anything promoting blind faith in celestial beings [and hatin' on science]is directly opposing communism. it would be hard to make that work, but i suppose it could, even if i dont like it.

Other things vaguely related to communism

[dubaiwalla.livejournal.com]

Any thoughts about this?

One guy on the BBC World Service today morning said that the monarchy's fall was now inevitable, adding that the Maoists were likely to wait for an opportune moment in which to just stroll into Kathmandu and be welcomed.

[brownfist.livejournal.com]

I personally believe that Marx rejected the Church because he wanted to achieve complete human liberation. One cannot be fully liberated if one alienates him/herself into God. I agree that in the short term there can be alliances between progressive religious and communist organizations, hell, communists can even utilize religious metaphors (although this normally doesnt work out too well), but finally the goal of communism is to see a withering away of religion. i dont think we should abolish religion, but the conditions that allow religion to thrive like poverty etc.

[baal-shem-ra.livejournal.com]

"why did Marx reject it? "
Part of the superstructure of an exploitative system and all that.
Also, Rome would have been weary of allying with Communism. Talk of abolishing of all religions will do that. Now, abolishing of all religions *but* Catholicism, maybe Rome would have gone for that.

Neither Communist nor Christians are known for their pragmatic strategising or for their pragmatic anything. There's the Platonic idealism getting in the way of Christians and the German idealism getting in the way of Communists.

To take an example, look at French far left political parties, can there really be major practical differences between Worker's Struggle, the Revolutionary Communist League, the French Communist Party, the Left Radical Party and the Workers' Party when it comes to issues of the day or even on the far horizon? Together, they would have had nearly as many votes as the Socialist Party or the National front in 2002. Instead, they're small and disorganised.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_politics

[theoria.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I understand the question. I'm not familiar of any argument of Marx's that claims that the Church ensured "the good functioning of the economic system". Do recall, that as a mode of legitimation, the Church operated in the feudal mode of production. Marx has no love for feudalism, and you shouldn't either. See his "Contribution to a Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right" (1843) and the first manuscript in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1844).