Thankyou Patrick. I have added some of your first page with a link to our site here at churchrewired.org. It always struck me at Uni when I did my theol degree that marxism and christian theology had an awful lot in common. I found much of my reading up with the dreaded marxists at Flinders dovetailed with the the old testament prophets rather well! It's interesting how much both sides have demonised each other; I took time to think about the wisdom of posting your article! I headed my mirror as Not your father's Marxism; it's not a bad idea to revisit our old learnings sometimes, hey? Andrew Prior - churchrewired.org

Unfortunately Marxism, like religion, has elements of unreasoning faith. Marx’s Lutheran religious training is evident in the Marxist ideas that include the Fall, the millennium and the struggle between Good and Evil.

Primitive communism in an economy of scarcity followed by the class struggle and the apotheosis of a classless society in an economy of plenty is simply a rewriting of the expulsion of humans from the Garden of Eden followed by the trials and suffering of humankind that is ended at the Second Coming of Jesus and the millennium.

Both religion and Marxism give a meaning to history which isn’t there.

The struggle between Good and Evil is replicated in the class struggle with ‘class enemies’ regarded as Evil. About 100,000,000 corpses resulted from the Marxist Crusade against Evil.

In any struggle between humans there are humans on both sides of the barricades.

In Marxist mythology the Fall was the introduction of private property in the primeval Eden.

There was no Fall. Humanity has merely changed through history due to technological developments and availability of resources.

The unreasoning faith of both Marxism and Biblical religion has caused great suffering.

One can hope for skepticism toward the unprovable propositions of both Marxism and religion to replace unreasoning faith. One can hope for skepticism toward any ideology or religion that claims to have a monopoly on truth.

Hegel saw history as a progression toward an apotheosis in the form of the Prussian state. Marx was a follower of Hegel but added the mystical elements cited above to predict the inevitable triumph of communism.

Marxism is a secular ideology which contains many religious elements.

Some Marxists look at the destruction wrought by various Marxist entities and claim that the horrors are because Marxism has not really been tried.

Some Christians look at the destruction wrought by various Christian entities and claim that the horrors are because Christianity has not really been tried.

Philosophies and religions derive their meaning by the actions of their followers.

"But today's Islamophobes, like Hitchens, are not attacking the powerful in our society; they are attacking a persecuted minority..."

Nearly all of the bloodthirsty killings carried out in the name of Allah don't occur in those Western societies where Muslims are a minority -- 'persecuted' or not -- but in societies where Islam already has a stranglehold on justice and administration. What these murderers want is not a 'fair go' but rather the complete obliteration of science, tolerance and reason and its replacement by a Stone Age tribal culture where men are ignorant, women are possessions, and heretics are tortured and killed.

This kind of defensive hatefulness is the natural outcome of any system, political or religious, which gives primacy to a pre-established set of rules over the results of experiment and reason. Because it can't admit that its failure is due to the limitations of its Holy Book, it seeks to find and blame enemies in the outside world. Marxism has failed, like Christianity, through its inability to learn from experience, not its hostility to religion.

<<Defending Muslims is a vital task for socialists today - and one that fully accords with the real Marxist approach to religion.>>

"Vital" ? VITAL?

I'ts also a stupid one. (STUUUUUUPID)

No-one really says it better than the Socialist Alternative itself:)

http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=727&Itemid=106

Iranian Revolution.

<<some (socialist) groups saw guerrilla struggle as the way to defeat the Shah, while all looked to ALLIANCES with the "progressive bourgeoisie" and the "anti-imperialist" Islamists.

Because the Left didn't look to the working class as the primary agent of revolution, it failed to take the opportunities thrown up by the revolution to grow in influence when the working class played the decisive role in overthrowing the Shah. Fatally, the Left tailed Khomeini, calling him "progressive" and "anti-imperialist" and refused to challenge him or provide an alternative to his leadership.

The Left, and the Iranian people generally, soon paid the price of this stupidity. Once in power, Khomeini set about crushing the continuing working class and minority resistance and transferring power to the clergy. As his strength grew, he began direct crackdowns on the Left, jailing and killing thousands of leftists and worker activists.>>

What the Left simply did not realize, is that unbridled Islamic power, will lead to unbridled application of Islamic principles.

'Kill them (atheists/idolaters) wherever you find them' (in context it is a legitimate quote) (Surah 9:5)

I suppose the left's lesson is "Next time we will kill them first"

DAVID F.. no, I disagree,

<<Some Christians look at the destruction wrought by various Christian entities and claim that the horrors are because Christianity has not really been tried.>>

We look at such things and say they were OUTRIGHT WRONG/EVIL SATANIC!
Based on.....the Bible. (particularly the teaching of the Lord Jesus)

The modern day Marxist has a lot in common with Islam. They both condone violence and have a death culture. Killing the unborn is living proof of that. Anyone that disagrees with their established science (dogma) is a heretic. Global warming has now replaced global cooling. What will be next? The high priests constantly exaggerate the evil done by white males and down play any good though many of them have become rich through capitalism. Catastrophic prophecies are regular announcements to scare every man, woman and child in conforming to their dogmas. They portray an outward morality but brainwash kids into thinking every form of sexual experimentation is normal. Marxism has led to more deaths than all religions and wars put together. Just look at the abortion stats.

Lets look at what "opium" means.
1. It is meant to sedate and immobilise the user.
2. Only authorities are allowed to cultivate and to use it.
3. It eases pain and it creates a sense of dependence.

Yes.I would say that religion is the opiate of the masses. BUT...
Marx had only the thesitic institutions in mind as these were the only organizations in existence at his time. If he were awarew of modern world views on religion i.e god-less religion and secular interpretations of scriptures he would not have believed that.

We are looking out from a different window at a vastly different world view.

I give Marx more credit.

socratease