The issue is not if you embrace communism (I don't), but how anti-communism and Red Baiting have been used by right-wing demagogues to crush movements for social and economic justice.  I am a Christian who agrees with the ideas of the Social Gospel and Liberation Theology; and I am a member of Democratic Socialists of America along with Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Gloria Steinem, and Frances Fox Piven. See the names of some of my other colleagues here:

http://www.dsausa.org/about/structure.html

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 01:04:06 PM EST
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The prophets and Jesus were well aware that misery was usually caused by exploitation and abuse by the rich/powerful/elites of society.  One of the things that gets me is that the dominionists and fundamentalists (and all others of that type of ilk) focus on only a few - less than five for the most part - scriptures, and ignore all the lines of scripture that denounce the rich and powerful for exploiting the poor.

People tend to forget that Marx was concerned about the 'common' person, and opposed to the abuse and exploitation that the Bible denounced.  I think that the Liberation theologians actually looked at the Bible and Jesus' words, and realized just how out of whack the churches had become.

Karl Marx was talking from observation and experience when he said that religion was the opiate of the people.  He observed how the rich and powerful had twisted the Gospel into the travesty we usually hear today - submission to power and authority, "God shows his approval by blessing those who are Godly and shows his disapproval of sin by punishing people with hardship and poverty", hatred preached against people because of only five lines of scripture (the "gotcha verses"), and so on.

I've often said that one of the biggest problems with "Christianity" (the version generally preached and practiced) is that there is a dearth of REAL Biblical scholarship, and people don't take the time to look at the scriptures and their setting as they should.  If they did, they'd reject a literal interpretation in a heartbeat, and be more liberal in viewpoint.  I believe very firmly that the Bible, especially when you examine and study it seriously, strongly supports liberation theology and contradicts the usual "submission" preaching.

by ArchaeoBob on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 02:17:51 PM EST
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I was hoping someone would point out this irony

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 01:31:50 PM EST
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I've heard "King was a communist" within the last couple of months, and the speaker was serious.  I don't remember where, however.

It's a common sentiment in this area.

by ArchaeoBob on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 03:57:13 PM EST
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I am disputing the guilt-by-association premise that this fact made MLK a puppet of commuist ideology.  He also got advice from Jews and at least one gay man.  This did not make MLK Jewish or gay.

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 10:53:41 AM EST
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Think about it!!!

I laugh when I hear the cries of "Marxism", "Socialism", and "Communism".  Most people don't know what they're talking about!  Marx's theories extend far beyond economics!

There are still communists to be found (and they aren't as frequent on campuses and among faculty as people would like to believe), but one thing that most people don't realize is just how dated -out of date- communism is.  Social science theory and thought has progressed far beyond Marx, who belongs to the 1800s (he died in 1883).  The sad thing is that most people haven't really studied Marx and don't know how much he's contributed to the sciences - many of the core thoughts were conceived by him (base or structure and superstructure to name one).  

The fact is, while some of his thinking was in error, for the most part his ideas and observations have proved to be valid, especially when it comes to things like exploitation and conflict.  The very things that MLK was facing and which we face today are best explained by aspects of the conflict perspective (or various forms of political economy  and related theoretical frameworks) which developed out of Marx's theories.  

However, social scientists have long progressed far beyond him, and there are strong criticisms of his theory.  Weber correctly pointed out that there is more involved than just economics (a regular criticism of Marxist theories), and he did not observe that religion could be a force against the status quo (and the associated exploitation).  He incorrectly thought that a Communist government would be the penultimate form of government.  He didn't consider the impact of unions on balancing out the abuse and exploitation by the rich.  He didn't consider that some cultures are not conflict-based, but based upon cooperation and where cooperation is the norm.  I could name several other different areas where modern theorists disagree with him.  I myself strongly disagree with economics being the base and ideology being the superstructure - I've argued many times that it is ideology that is the foundation and economics (especially exploitation for gaining wealth) that develops out of beliefs (such as about status and the 'right' to be rich at the expense of others).

Having said that, communists tend to be more observant and notice things like abuse and exploitation, which are rampant even in today's society and which are not inherent in human relations.  Their answer may not be as workable as they think, but they DO have valid criticisms and observations and they do have something to give to this country.  The elites have programmed most of the people in this country to have a knee-jerk reaction to the words "Marx, Socialism, Communism" (and other terms) which keeps people from listening to and recognizing the truth of the things they say.  The elites don't want people to think about their situation and what has been going on in a critical way because that might mean that they (the rich and powerful)  might find their wealth and power limited, even though that would mean ordinary people could have better lives.

by ArchaeoBob on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 11:52:30 AM EST
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As a fuzzy logician, I find the term Marxist to be an ingenious label that's used in order to taint by association rather than accurately portray thinking that originated with the home-grown labor movement that was responding to the working conditions of the time. What's in a name? Well, there were certainly people who had read and embraced Marxist ideas in both the labor and civil rights movements, but the goals of these movements were quite pragmatic and oriented to bread and butter issues and they bore little resemblance to the ideological, authoritarian forms of Marxism that developed elsewhere. Black and white thinkers have difficulty understanding issues that involve complexity and nuance and often regard identity like a label that can be slapped on something. And even a passing acquaintanceship with Marxism is regarded as enough to earn that label from the bifurcatory types. A better way of understanding these issues is through a walks like a duck test, in which resemblance is the question and set membership can come in degrees. MLK was as a much a Marxist as Thomas Jefferson was (and I'm reluctant to give people ideas here). The radical notion that people should be paid for their labor was revolutionary and offensive to 18th century aristocrats, 19th century market fixing robber barons and 20th century segregationists, but it had the virtue of being actually free. Just a segue -- what's interesting is that those on the Right are rarely bothered by authoritarian regimes but are bothered by changes to the economic system that involve franchising workers. Moreover, changes to the economic system that favor capital are considered beneficial by those on the right, despite the hypocritical nature of this belief.
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis
by colinski on Mon Jan 17, 2011 at 03:16:26 PM EST
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