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From: kim@analog.UUCP (Kim Helliwell          )
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion,net.books
Subject: Re: "Witness in Nicaragua" - Christ, Marx, and *The Name of the Rose*
Message-ID: <133@analog.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 11:14:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: analog.133
Posted: Wed Jun 20 11:14:29 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 20:49:12 EDT
References: <302@uwvax.ARPA>
Organization: Analog Design Tools, Menlo Park, Ca.
Lines: 40

It is difficult to know how to respond to the above named article.  To me,
the suggestion of a synthesis between Christianity and Marxism is quite
repugnant.  To such opposites cannot be reconciled, in my opinion.  Such
a synthesis would, in fact, lead to something that is neither Christianity
nor Marxism.

The author of the piece claims to be filled with what he calls Righteousness.
Admittedly, he narrows the definition if the term to the point that almost
anybody could claim to be filled with Righteousness--I too am exercised greatly
by injustice when I hear of cases.  If the author were truly familiar with
Christian teaching, he would know that "there is none righteous, no, not one"
(Rom 3:10) and "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).
His claim of being filled with Righteousness seems arrogant in the extreme.

Christianity teaches that none of us is righteous in himself.  Our righteousness
comes from Christ.  Christ is the Son of God, and Very God.  To compare him
to Marx on the human level is, to say the least, irrelevant.  

OK, so what are we to do with American Christians and movements which suggest 
that attaining wealth is the highest good?  This is certainly a problem.
People do tend to mistake wealth and the favor of the world as the favor of
God.  But that IS a mistake.  On the other hand, Christianity teaches that
there is such a thing as private property--we are stewards under God of
the things we are given, and are accountable to Him for how we use them.
This is one of the reasons stealing is wrong--it takes from a steward that
which he was given in trust by God!  I am no student of Marx, but it seems
to me that the teachings of Marx run counter to this stewardship concept by
imposing upon people who own something a forced sharing of their wealth.
(Even to the taking of lives, though that may be Lenin's corruption of
Marxism that I am thinking of).

I am sorry this is such a ramble--my thoughts are barely collected, and I 
haven't time to put them in order any better.  I am glad to hear of
ministries to poor and downcast people, which this article mentioned.  It
does sound as if there are some Christians doing something about injustice
in the world.  That is good.  What I reacted to was the attempt at equating
this with Marxism--I think that is a dangerous road.

Kim Helliwell
hplabs!analog!kim