A Letter to the Editor
14 years ago
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Communism - an evil Godless Empire
Yes, we are seeing the downfall of freedom and the dawn of communism here in America. People somehow think that it would be good for us to become a communistic country!
Remember the statement: "We Will keep feeding you socialism until you realize you already got communism."
Even though this clip from Glen Beck is several months old. It is still important and it is not to late. It seems to me that those of us who recognize what is happening need to do something more - something to turn the onslaught of events. Even in the dark hours, we must continue to try to change things. We must continue to pray, write letters to our unresponsive congressmen and speak up when others commend this situation.
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5 comments:
I must say, sir, you disgust me. You do not realize the flaw of applying the term 'communism' to states such as Lenin and Stalin's, and the incredibly ignorant usage (albeit by you personally or through supporting Mr.Glenn Becker) of the phrase Atheist as if it is a horrible thing, as if an Atheist is someone who destroys and murders and nothing else.
You, and many people of the people whom agree with you, are wrong.
Let’s look at some facts:
“The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Russian: Коммунисти́ческая Па́ртия Сове́тского Сою́за, transliterated Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, acronym: КПСС (KPSS)) was the ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world. It emerged from the Bolshevik fraction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin. The party led the 1917 October Revolution that overthrew Russian Provisional Government and established the world's first socialist state. Given a central role under the Constitution of the Soviet Union, the party controlled all tiers of government in the Soviet Union and did not tolerate any opposition. Its organization was subdivided into communist parties of the constituent Soviet republics as well as the mass youth organization, Komsomol. The party was also the driving force of Comintern, maintained organizational links and supported communist movements in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. The party ceased to exist with the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt failure in 1991 and was succeeded by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in Russia and the communist parties of the now-independent former Soviet republics.”
“Society of the Godless (Общество безбожников in Russian); other names include Союз воинствующих безбожников (The Union of Belligerent Atheists or The League of the Militant Godless[1]) and Союз безбожников (The Union of the Godless), was a mass volunteer antireligious organization of Soviet workers and others in 1925-1947. It "consisted of Party members, members of the Komsomol youth movement, workers and army veterans"[2] S.o.G. was an antireligious movement that developed in Soviet Russia under the influence of the ideological and cultural views and policies of the Communist Party. The newspaper Bezbozhnik (Godless, Atheist) (1922-1941), founded and edited by Yemelyan Yaroslavsky[1], played a significant role in S.o.G.'s establishment, and had a wide network of correspondents and readers. In August 1924, like-minded individuals founded the Club of 'Bezbozhnik's friends in Moscow. In April 1925, the First Congress of this club took place, where they established a united All-Soviet antireligious society under the name of The Union of the Godless. In 1929, the Second Congress changed the society's name to The Union of Belligerent (or Militant) Atheists. The Central Committee chose Yaroslavsky as its leader (who occupied this post continuously).
1929 magazine cover showing muscular workers dumping Jesus with garbage”….
“S.o.G. embraced workers, peasants, students, and intelligentsia. It had its first affiliates at factories, plants, collective farms (kolkhoz), and educational institutions. By the beginning of 1941, S.o.G. had about 3.5 million members of 100 nationalities. It had about 96,000 offices across the country. Guided by Bolshevik principles of antireligious propaganda and party's orders with regards to religion, S.o.G. aimed at fighting religion in all its manifestations and forming scientific mindset among the workers. It popularized atheism and scientific achievements, conducted individual work with religious people, prepared propagandists and atheistic campaigners, published scientific literature and periodicals, organized museums and exhibitions, conducted scientific research in the field of atheism and critics of religion. S.o.G.'s slogan was "Struggle against religion is a struggle for socialism", which was meant to tie in their atheist views with economy, politics, and culture. S.o.G. had vast international connections; it was part of the International of Proletarian Freethinkers and later of the Worldwide Freethinkers Union.”
“The League was a "nominally independent organization established by the Communist Party to promote atheism." It published newspapers, journals, and other materials that lampooned religion; it sponsored lectures and films; it organized demonstrations and parades; it set up antireligious museums; and it led a concerted effort to persuade Soviet citizens that religious beliefs and practices were "wrong" and harmful, and that good citizens ought to embrace a scientific, atheistic worldview.[3] In 1947, S.o.G.'s duties of scientific and atheistic propaganda were transferred to the All-Soviet society Znaniye (Knowledge).”
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So I ask you -how did Communism and Atheism benefit the Soviet Union and its citizens? Was it a blessing or a curse to the Soviet People? What happened to the Soviet Union with the promotion of Communism and Atheism?
The Soviet Union was a failed utopia, it never became a developed or modern nation; instead, it collapsed – it failed!!
It is not surprising that a flawed founding and wretched founders contributed to its collapse, this is now echoed by many Russian historians, who for the first time were encouraged not only to think independently but to publish the fruits gleaned from access to hitherto secret archives and files. General Dmitri Volkogonov, a former official Soviet military historian and author stated that "the roots of [the] catastrophe lay in the ideology itself, in Leninism."
For more clarity and insights into the multitudinous factors contributing toward the collapse of the Soviet Union, here are some more facts from Walter Laqueur: …"the economy was in free fall whose slowdown began as early as the Sixties; an almost total absence of consumer goods of any consistent quantity or quality; defense spending higher than anticipated; a series of ecological disasters and disaster areas; a rise in alcoholism to 37 percent for working class males by the late 1970s; and most glaringly, the legacy of cronyism and Mafia-like satraps, particularly in the Soviet republics, either established or allowed during the Brezhnev period. As a result of the latter, anything could be obtained if one had the money, from a university position to a job as a party apparachik. And the police and judiciary were the most corrupt of all.”….
…“There was also the increasingly ubiquitous presence of abject poverty; peasants on run-down collective farms, old age pensioners, single women, low-paid occupational workers -- including teachers -- frequently reduced to a penury that proved the lie of the failed utopia."
The country was is in deep economic difficulty. Consumer goods increased in number during the 60's and 70's, but the distribution system was so broken down that milk rarely got delivered before souring and, though Soviets produced more shoes than anyone else in the world, customers were forced to stand in line time and again to buy several pairs because the sizes were so askew that it was necessary to acquire many pairs to make a fit. Housing meanwhile was atrocious with couples required to wait years before qualifying for a small apartment; the wait for cars also dragged on interminable, and after one finally arrived, it was not unusual for it almost immediately to experience mechanical problems. The rate of growth in the national product had been steadily declining since the fifties. A country which employed one-fifth of its population in agriculture was unable to feed its own people. Were it not for the private sector, the tiny 3% private sector tolerated in Soviet agriculture, the country might have been on the brink of famine.
The Soviet Union also ran against the tide of history by denying human freedom and human dignity to its citizens. The people had become so inured to their predicament that they simply accepted it as a wretched mean, a condition they gradually had acclimatized themselves to.
The effects of all of the above contributed to the collapse which falls more within the framework of a "spiritual" or "moral" crisis - these people had reached the end of their moral tether.
Sir Winston Churchill said, "I do not believe that Soviet Russia desires war. What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines. But what we have to consider here today while time remains is the permanent prevention of war and the establishment of conditions of freedom and democracy as rapidly as possible in all countries." The Soviet Union was a totalitarian force in the world who sought subversion and conflict around the globe to further their barbarous assault on the human spirit.
President Ronald Reagan stated, “The decay of the Soviet experiment should come as no surprise to us. Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies -- West Germany and East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Malaysia and Vietnam -- it is the democratic countries that are prosperous and responsive to the needs of their people “…..
“The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: "If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants." Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." And it was George Washington who said that "of all the disposition and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supporters”."
The Soviet Union experiment of a Marxist “utopia” – a Communist and Atheist society- failed and it hurt the people there by denying human freedom and human dignity to its citizens. Americans need to be told the truth of what actually happened under a socialist/communistic government. Any Government that denies freedom and dignity to its citizens is against God’s plan and is evil. So you sir (Jason) – are wrong!
Except for two things; That is hardly a communist government. The soviet government was a bastardization of the true intent of Communism (which would not work with humanity as it is; Humanity would need to evolve considerably in order for Communism to work as intended). It was nothing but totalitarian. I'm not denying that the government was awful, I'm stating the fact that your assertion that those governments were truly communist is incorrect.
Second, I might add that Freewill is just an illusion. Everything is casual and the present and future is dictated by the past; the future is set-in-stone. We are shaped by our pasts (heredity and events) and we would not act against our nature or who we are; this means that freewill is either heavily limited or nonexistant in the first place. To me the evidence suggests the latter. Were you to right now act against your natures, then it would because I have said this and as an attempt to prove me wrong.
..To clarify, when I said 'casual' I meant 'causual'. That is, defined by past events. Every single event with exception from the First Cause is defined by the events before it. An individuals nature is defined by both his past and the past of the species, and an individuals actions are dictated by its nature.
Communism at its core is an excellent idealist society; If humanity could handle it would be the ideal society. However as is humanity is too fickle, "sinful" and foolish to do so.
The only way to true Communism can be practiced is the same as the only way to true peace can happen: the very things that make us human, such as emotions, free will/choices, and human liberties must all be eliminated. And that is unlikely to happen, for once we lose our emotions, free will and have no liberties, we're no better off than machines.
In the ideal Communistic society, the central government owns all land, credit, means of communication and transportation, property, and the means of producing goods and services. There are no classes, no families, no free speech, and no religion. In short, under Communism individuals are forced to live with nothing, and government is their God. Socialism derives its philosophy from the founders of communism, Marx and Engels. Communism in practice is socialism. Both communism and socialism have the same effect upon the individual–a loss of personal liberty.
Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. In a truly caring society where true religion is practiced - Individuals decide how much they need to support their family’s “wants and needs,” and freely choose to give their property, money, goods, and services to others and there is no coercion. True religion where we all live the second great commandment: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," is not practiced by the world today, but that is the result of free will. Some would say that this will never happen, that is fantasy – wishful thinking, considering that human beings are what they are. Perhaps this is true. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t take free will away and force someone be “charitable.” It just won’t work.
We believe that our community around us is important. We should care for and help our neighbors in need, but we should CHOOSE to do it on our own. Communism may sound enticing to some people, but I doubt it does to the approximately 94 million who died under it and those who have survived it.
I'm sorry, but I have enormous difficulty accepting that that my conscious experience of choice is false. I have to disagree that free will is just an illusion and that the future is set-in-stone. True, the present and future is dictated by the past in part but not in totality. If that were the case, alcoholics who have the “addicted” gene passed on to them through hereditary (nature) and who are raised in an alcoholic environment (nurture) – would be doomed to be alcoholics forever – there would be no hope of changing their lives or becoming clean and sober. But there is hope – people choose to go to alcoholic anonymous to become clean and sober and to change their lives. People have a choice. People that have had bad childhoods have chosen to be different than the environment they were raised in (nurture) and the genes they have been given (nature) – people go to counseling and church and can change and create the good lives they want to have. There are many cases where people have chosen to overcome nature and nurture and become what they want. To suggest that all our actions are pre-determined by our experience, and our biology, chemistry or other physical nature is missing the point entirely. To shift the responsibility for our actions to something we cannot control is simply a cop-out.
What is a person, if not a compilation of his/her abilities and experience? If a decision is made based on my experience and frame of mind, am I not the one making the decision? What is the definition of freedom? Isn't it to be able to do as you wish? Can a semantic argument that states that you only choose things you want -take away your ability to choose them? What DOES take away our free will is BELIEVING that we do not have a choice. You cannot study the brain and ignore psychology and philosophy. Perception is reality. Our perception of the world and ourselves is what drives our decision making, and that the instant you change your perception, you change your decision making process. If you go from believing you make your own choices to believing that your choices are pre-determined, your decision making process is changed accordingly. Belief in free will maintains free will. Lack of free will means that the ultimate cause is external to the person. They do something because of events that occurred out there in the world. Free will means that the ultimate cause was internal to the person.
Whether our conclusions are pre-determined or not, (choices may be partially pre-determined, but not in totality) – however WE are the ones who make them. Sure, we are pre-disposed to certain things, and are influenced significantly by our experience and our genes. However, WE do not know what we will choose in advance, so, for all intents and purposes, we absolutely have free will. We control our conscious actions and we are responsible for the consequences of those actions - good or bad.
Read this speech for a more in-depth discussion on why free will is not an illusion: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/earticle/3893/
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