Some people are very confused and think that Jesus Christ advocated for the communist way of life. President Barack Obama, liberals, progressives, atheists, and other unknowledgeable people have been asserting that the teachings of Jesus Christ are the same as the communist doctrines of Karl Marx. There is even a new "award-winning" film entitled "Jesus Was A Commie". Mark Alexander, editor of the Patriot Post, wrote an excellent article about this subject.
In a recent speech, Obama combined two different Biblical teachings in order to justify income redistribution. He combined the statement of Cain "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) with the teachings of Jesus Christ about caring for the poor and needy in Matthew 25:40: "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Obama claims that the socialist idea of "spreading the wealth around" is the same as the teachings of Jesus Christ found in Luke 12:48: "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
There are other statements similar to the one referenced, which indicate that Luke was talking about more than temporal possessions. The Apostle James wrote: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
There is an even more enlightening statement in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10: "For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation."
Obama is following the same path as did Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt 's idea was to tax according to the ability to pay - tax the rich because they have more money - rather than have everyone pay their fair share. This is how we have arrived at the point that nearly 50 percent of our taxpayers do not actually pay any income tax and even receive money back! Both Obama and Roosevelt got their ideas from Karl Marx who taught, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."
There are some huge differences between the teachings of Karl Marx and the teachings of Jesus Christ or between communism and the law of consecration. In fact, I am so bold as to state that socialism/communism is Satan's counterfeit for the Lord's law of consecration. The biggest difference between the Lord's plan and Satan's counterfeit is the element of agency - freedom, independence, liberty, and the opportunity to choose.
1) The Lord acts in love and lets us choose with the end result being that everyone benefits. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 2 Nephi 2:27).
Communists want to force us to do as they think is best for us - no matter what we want. An excellent example of how socialists/communists work is in the health care reform known as Obamacare. Every American would be forced to buy health insurance or pay a fine for not doing so - whether we want insurance or not.
2) The Lord wants us to take care of the poor and needy, but He wants us to do it in His way. His plan allows everyone to choose whether or not to participate. Under the law of consecration everyone has a choice of whether or not to voluntarily give up whatever extra they have in order to help the poor.
"And all that believed were together, and had all things common" (Acts 2:44).
"And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 26:19).
"And Zion
"And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:18). Did you notice those last words? When we do things the Lord's way, there will be "no poor among them".
The socialist/communist way is to take from the rich and give to the poor - take from the makers and give to the takers, take from the 53% that pay federal taxes and give to the 47% that pay no taxes - until no one has any desire to work or anything else to give - and everyone ends up poor.
3) The Lord wants us to be rich in order that we can build up His kingdom and help those with less.
"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God
"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good - to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jacob 2:17-19).
The liberals/progressives in this nation who are guiding us towards social/communism do not believe that people should be rich. They write regulations that stifle business and try to destroy capitalism and free enterprise. They are attempting to kill the "golden goose" and still have the eggs!
The worst thing about this whole situation is that Obama and his minions are attempting to deceive us by equating communism with the law of consecration. They are attempting to tell us that evil is good and black is white. Do not let them deceive you! Do your own homework and discover for yourself that Jesus Christ did not teach the principles known as communism!
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