House of Eratosthenes

They’re out again. I’m not sure what it is; Obama’s failed economic policies, I guess. Maybe His speeches are more boring than usual. Maybe someone actually started snoring audibly a few minutes in.

But it seems whenever His Eminence is trotting around giving wonderful speeches, a meme resurrects itself like it’s some dark, unholy anti-Easter…rolls the great rock away from its tomb…and emerges to proclaim the gospel that Jesus Christ was a socialist and all those who are not socialists better make right with The Lord for the end of the world is nigh.

It fails the first test of soundness in an idea, failing to retain its shape and composition when placed under the simple pressure of being taken seriously. Ponder it without ridicule for awhile and it collapses under its own weight. There is therefore a certain loss of dignity involved in even indulging it.

But the challenge has been answered, and it’s a decent job. At least good enough for the archives.

This theological assertion — a reading of Scripture that has completely escaped theologians for two millennia — rests on the story of Ananias and Saphhira, who were struck dead after they “lied to the Holy Spirit.” They had sold land, given part to the Apostles but claimed that they had given all. Here are the Apostle Peter’s words to Ananias:

Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.

Catch that? The very passage which Mr. Paul believes clinches his argument that the Bible endorses “terror-enforced-communism” actually reaffirms private property rights. The land belonged to Ananias, and after he sold it, the money was “at [his] disposal.” (Indeed, Jesus Himself declared that “the worker deserves his wages.”) His crime wasn’t withholding money; his crime was lying.

While the Bible is hardly an economics text, some economic and social themes do endure, and they are incompatible not just with socialism but also many aspects of the modern welfare state.

While the Bible calls us to help the poor, it is also clear that the poor must help themselves to the extent they are able. In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul warns against idleness and says, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” In 1 Timothy 5, Paul also declares, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Even inclusion on the widows’ “list” (which entitled widows to receive aid from the church) was conditioned upon age and good conduct.

Hat tip to Ace of Spades, by way of Linkiest.

The ignorance shown the comment section of the WP article…is absolutely staggering. It isn’t a PC thing to say, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that the devil sends people into the Body of Christ to deploy foolish talk, to attempt to sow confusion, pervert the Truth, and cause argument between believers.

Several of the commenters are on top of the situation: They make clear that Christ’s admonition to help the poor was about an act of individual voluntary charity, and it couldn’t possibly have less to do with the government’s welfare state. They also point out where the Bible says there are good rich people and bad rich people; the difference is in the heart, not the bank account.

Of all the false ideas in the world, the idea that socialism is “Christian” is quite possibly the one I detest the most. I have more patience for proponents of Darwinian evolution or MMGW, than I do for the people pushing this nonsense. Say socialism is compassionate, say that it’s an economic success story, say that it actually does what it is supposed to (all easily debunked, but never mind). But don’t, DON’T call it “Christian.”
- cylarz | 08/20/2011 @ 17:53
I’m becoming more and more convinced that the devil sends people into the Body of Christ to deploy foolish talk, to attempt to sow confusion, pervert the Truth, and cause argument between believers.

Of course he does. It is probably THE most effective tactic. Alinsky did it. It’s all through the history of “community organizing”.

Rot your opponent from within.

One thing mold generally can’t stand, though, is strong, steady sunlight.
- philmon | 08/21/2011 @ 09:12
I never made the leap that to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s was an endorsement of government.
- xlibrl | 08/21/2011 @ 11:43
I never made the leap that to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s was an endorsement of government.

Me either.

Many of our Founding Fathers (and today, among the TEA Party) one would and will find many Christians who believe certain forms of taxation are immoral, no less so than slavery. I don’t see anything wrong with demanding accountability and transparency from government if it presumes the right to tax us, nor with insisting that such monies be used responsibly and/or taken from citizens only with their consent.
- cylarz | 08/21/2011 @ 21:13
[…] the way I think of the left and religion. Apparently there’s this thing going around about Jesus and socialism, or that the Bible enjoins us to raise the top marginal tax rate, […]
- On the Intelligence of Atheists | academiczoology | 08/22/2011 @ 12:29
Not versed in the minutia of the various reinterpretations of The Bible, but…
Who said “If you GIVE a slacker a fish, you’ve entitled them for life, but if you
TEACH a slacker to fish, they’ll pursue a “Humanities” PhD in “The Old Man and The Sea” and “Moby Dick” under an Affirmative Action/ Pell grant, then “teach”, under all expenses “tenure”, ensuing generations of slackers how to do it, , for LIFE.?
- CaptDMO | 08/23/2011 @ 11:38

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“The Impossibility of a Socialist Jesus”Saturday, August 20th, 2011

“The Impossibility of a Socialist Jesus”
Saturday, August 20th, 2011