"The Catholic Case Against Communism"

[FiveLinden]

I don’t agree with the fundamentals of the Catholic case against communism (being a non-believer) but I know enough about it to know that the simplistic rhetoric in the linked article.

Mining the literally voluminous works of Marx, Engels and Lenin for evidence of crude, racist or stupid expressions does not help a positive exposition of the Catholic position.

It also helps to distinguish between Marxist philosophy, Marxist economic theory, Marxist social theory and the specific practice of politicians who have attempted to put these ideas into practice. A Marxist could happily write a similar piece attacking the Church quoting the Syllabus of Errors and similar works produced by the Church int he 19th century.

 

[ralfyman]

In addition to what has been said, Marx gave 10 points in his Manifesto, and some have been followed in various democracies and mixed economies: a graduated income tax, the formation of a national bank, public ownership of various roads and the airwaves, public corporations, mechanization of agriculture, free education, abolition of child labor, and using education to train future workers.

Finally, the Church does not support Communism, but it does not support unregulated capitalism either. What it wants is something in between: the right to earn and own but also regulation to stop abuses of the poor, to protect the environment, etc.