Since at least the 1950’s, it has been common to refer to Communism not just as “Communism,” but as “godless Communism.” The idea, I suppose, is to make it sound worse by associating it with atheism. As a consequence, the hundred million or so dead at the hands of the likes of the Soviet Union, China and so on are often enough laid at the doorstep of atheism. But the fact is, godless Communism isn’t dangerous because it’s godless… it’s dangerous because it’s Communism.
One of the more important foundational stories of America deals with the “Pilgrims” and the “First thanksgiving.” As I and countless other children learned the story in grade school, the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation were facing famine due to their inability to make a proper go of farming… until the friendly Injuns came along and gave ’em some pointers. Then through the grace of God, the farms succeeded, and the Pilgrims decided to hold a feast in thanksgiving to God for saving them, and invited the friendly Injuns over for pie, and everyone lived happily ever after.
Well, that’s a nice enough fairy take, but it’s not quite what happened. In fact, that early colony was one of a number of experiments in Christian communism. There have been commies in Christianity virtually since the beginning, following precepts laid out in Acts Chapter 2:
2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Expanded further in Acts Chapter 4:
4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
4:35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
The Plymouth colony was originally set up to be a Christian commune. As governor Bradford related in “Of Plimoth
Plantation:”
1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person
that goeth being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at 10li.,
and ten pounds to be accounted a single share.
2. That he that goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe
out with 10li. either in money or other provissions, be accounted
as haveing 20li. in stock, and in ye devission shall receive a
double share.
3. The persons transported & ye adventurers shall continue
their joynt stock & partnership togeather, ye space of 7. years,
(excepte some unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole
company to agree otherwise,) during which time, all profits &
benifits that are gott by trade, traffick, trucking, working, fish-
ing, or any other means of any person or persons, remaine still
in ye comone stock untill ye division.
4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number
of fitt persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing
upon ye sea; imploying the rest in their severall faculties upon
ye land; as building houses, tilling, and planting ye ground,
& makeing shuch comodities as shall be most use full for ye
collonie.
5. That at ye end of ye 7. years, ye capitall & profits, viz.
the houses, lands, goods and chatles, be equally devided be-
twixte ye adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man
shall be free from other of them of any debt or detrimente
concerning this adventure.
[29] 6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie herafter, or putteth
any into ye stock, shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed
proportionably to ye time of his so doing.
7. He that shall carie his wife & children, or servants, shall
be alowed for everie person now aged 16. years & upward, a
single share in ye devision, or if he provid them necessaries,
a duble share, or if they be between 10. year old and 16., then
2. of them to be reconed for a person, both in trasportation
and devision.
8. That such children as now goe, & are under ye age of
ten years, have noe other shar in ye devi~ion, but 50. acers of
unmanured land.
9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired,
their executors to have their parte or shaff at ye devision, pro-
portionably to ye time of their life in ye collonie.
10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have
their meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon
stock & goods of ye said collonie.
In short, the land was to be worked communally, and the produce distributed equally. Two centuries before Marx, this was nevertheless a perfectly valid description of “communism.”
How’d it turn out? Well… in 1623, Bradford wrote this:
The experience that was had in this comone course
and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst
godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of
that conceite of Platos & other ancients, applauded
by some of later times; that ye taking away of
propertie, and bringing in comunitie into a comone
wealth, would make them happy and florishing; as if
they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so
farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion &
discontent, and retard much imploymet that would
have been to their beneflte and comforte. For ye
yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour &
service did repine that they should spend their time
& streingth to worke for other mens wives and chil-
dren, with out any recompence. The strong, or man
of parts, had no more in devission of victails & cloaths,
then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter
ye other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged
and graver men to be ranked and [97] equalised in
labours, and victails, cloaths, &c., with ye meaner &
yonger sorte, thought it some indignite & disrespect
unto them. And for mens wives to be commanded to
doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, wash-
ing their cloaths, &c., they deemd it a kind of slaverie,
neither could many husbands well brooke it. Upon ye
poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike,
they thought them selves in ye like condition, and one
as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those
relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did
at least much diminish and take of ye mutuall respects
that should be preserved amongst them. And would
have bene worse if they had been men of another
condition. Let none objecte this is men’s corruption,
and nothing to ye course it selfe. I answer, seeing all
men have this corruption in them, God in his wis-
dome saw another course fiter for them.
In the end, it was found that communism bred not plenty, but famine. If you get your share whether you bust your ass in the fields, or just laze about all day, pretty soon people are going to realize that they are being played for chumps if they actually go and bust their asses in the fields all day. And the result of that will be a massive drop in productivity; and in a razors-edge colony on the far end of the map, this is a recipe for disaster.
As a result, the colony rethought its communist ideology:
All this whille no supply was heard of, neither knew
they when they might expecte any. So they begane
to thinke how they might raise as much corne as they
could, and obtaine a beter crope then they had done,
that they might not still thus languish in miserie. At
length, after much debate of things, the Govr (with
ye advise of ye cheefest amongest them) gave way that
they should set corne every man for his owne per-
ticuler, and in that regard trust to them selves; in all
other things to goe on in ye generall way as before.
And so assigned to every family a parcell of land,
according to the proportion of their number for that
end, only for present use (but made no devission for
inheritance), and ranged all boys & youth under some
familie. This had very good success; for it made all
hands very industrious, so as much more corne was
planted then other waise would have bene by any
means ye Govr or any other could use, and saved him
a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente.
The women now wente willingly into ye feild, and
tooke their litle-ons with them to set corne, which
before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to
have compelled would have bene thought great tiranie
and oppression.
The result here was that going from collectivism to private ownership resulted in a massive increase in productivity, and the end of the famine. With the assistance of the Indians in matters agricultural, the colony went from a dying group of starving commies, to a prosperous group of feasting private property owners. If you’re of a mind to believe in God, then the deliverance from Communism is certainly something to be thankful for. The Pilgrims lucked out… a more typical story would have the totalitarian government maintaining the communist ideology until complete disaster struck. But the colony was too thinly populated for a Pilgrim-KGB to maintain order through force.
And while you’d think that the lessons learned at Plymouth might be more widely applied, they are in fact generally ignored. And as it turns out, Mao and his merry band of murderers was not Chinas first experiment with Communism. Lesser known is the “Taiping Rebellion,” which resulted in the creation of the “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace,” capitaled in Nanjing, in 1853. This rebellion was headed by Hong Xiuquan, a Christian convert. His brief nation was a Biblical theocracy, with definite oddities, such as strict separation of the sexes (including married couples). But it also included the banning of private property ownership, with all land owned by the State. The “Heavenly Kingdom” finally fell in 1864 when Imperial forces overran Nanjing.
While the “Heavenly Kingdom” is certainly a lot different from 20th century communist states, it does share one thing in common: a high death toll. Estimates vary but put the death toll of the rebellion at between 20 and 30 million. How many can be laid at the doorstep of the ChriChiComs is unknown. But starvation and death generally seem to go hand in hand with Communism, regardless of whether the state is officially Atheist or officially Christian. Somehow I suspect a Muslim Communist state would also not be a glittering example of public health and well being either.
The Hutterites of North America are an obvious exception to this. Yet another Christian Communist society, they have managed to avoid wiping themselves out . But they seem to have done this by creating a successful totalitarian society, with men and women strictly kept in their place by religious dogma and cultural controls. One might as well expect the Amish to come to dominate Democratic Party politics as to expect Hutterite practices to be successfully employed on a wider society.
So when you see a President of the United States selecting as an adviser someone who proudly proclaims himself a Communist, you are seeing a President who is choosing to ignore a nearly 400 year track record of Communist failures. “Hope and Change,” indeed.