FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
International Communist Workers Party
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FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM! |
International Communist Workers Party | |
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Politics and Religion
The comrade who criticized the editorial on racism and religion made a good point about needing to deepen the critique of both the African Methodist Episcopal and Catholic churches as reformist. I am in a good position to do that because I have experience in a black Baptist church (similar to AME) and a Roman Catholic Church and school.
They are different because the Catholic Church uses the fear factor. Confessing sins and saying Hail Mary’s didn’t make me feel better. It felt kind of stupid. The Baptists want you to shout out your sin, pray your sin or trouble away, give it to God to handle. That seems ridiculous as well. You’re not doing anything about it.
Politics is about the material world, religion is about the spiritual. The political standpoint is taking or demanding what you need to live, a society that meets our needs. Churches tell you to meditate and wait for it.
In my opinion, activist churches are just making a spectacle of themselves, settling for less than we really need. That’s what I mean by reformist. The picture with the editorial, of Denmark Vesey preaching slave rebellion, showed a different kind of church. I want to find out more about him.
I don’t feel that we are attacking people for going to church, but in my opinion the churches are trying to brainwash us. They are telling you
that God will give you anything. They are trying to soften the pillows of a hard bed. We want people to wake up out of that bed and come to the realization that there is something better that is possible in this world.
—Young comrade
Raising Communist Ideas in Reformist Actions: Don’t Be Shy!
Eighty people, including low-wage workers and members of local churches, rallied and marched before attending a Pasadena (California) City Council meeting that was to consider a $15 minimum wage ordinance.
A Red Flag reader was discouraged by the enthusiastic reformism of the crowd. She consulted with a friend, who encouraged her to speak during the “open mic” period.
“I see signs about economic justice,” she said. “We all know that $15/hour isn’t a living wage here. It’s pretty far from economic justice. I think we should think more broadly about what we really want. We should think about a society where everyone would work as they could and everyone would get what they need.
“This is not a new idea. It’s in many of our faith traditions. In Judaism there was the Essene tradition. The Christian book of Acts is probably the original source for the saying ‘from each according to ability, to each according to need.’ If we want economic justice we should begin talking about that now.”
There was some applause. “You got a good response,” the friend said. Half a dozen church friends also congratulated her. Clearly it would have been much better if she’d organized a few people to bring Party leaflets and a stack of papers.
But this little speech, despite its weaknesses, revealed a contradiction in what had seemed to be a thoroughly reformist action. It became clear that many in the crowd, even some of the most active, wanted something more, or even something different, from what the organizers put forward.
We need to take more advantage of these openings to raise communist ideas. In other words, we need to mobilize ourselves for communism!
—California comrade
U.S. Bosses Fear Communism
I would like to comment on last issue’s caption: “August 1945: US Imperialists Murdered 100,000 Japanese Civilians to
Threaten the Soviet Union.”
This title is historically correct but the main reason given for this US atrocity is not completely accurate. The caption stated that “the US already shared the occupation of Europe with the Soviet Red Army, which had done the bulk of the fighting and dying in the battle against Nazi Germany, and refused to share its victory in the Pacific with the Soviets as well.”
A closer look at the events during and after WWII would suggest that the main reason the US bosses committed this horrific crime was because they were afraid that the world’s workers would opt for communism.
In the aftermath of WWII, because of the tremendous prestige of a victorious Soviet Union over Nazi Germany a “specter – the specter of communism” was not only haunting Europe but many countries on all continents.
From Eastern Europe to France, Italy, and Greece, millions had joined the communist parties and the armed communist-led resistance that defeated the Nazi invaders and their local capitalist supporters. Likewise, from Vietnam to Korea to China millions joined the communist led resistance that defeated or helped defeat, as in the Philippines, the fascist Japanese invaders. Old and newly-founded Communist Parties in Latin America and Africa grew tremendously. Millions joined the communist- led armed struggle against their local bosses and colonial masters.
In short, the world’s masses longed for communism and were willing to fight and die for it. Unfortunately, the old communist movement betrayed them. Instead of fighting for communism they continued to fight for socialism, national liberation and “democracy.” All of these have proven to be a capitalist disaster for the working masses.
However, the main lesson we should draw from this brief history is that the vision of communism has inspired hundreds of millions before and it will do so again. The masses were ready for communism then and are ready for communism today. Let’s not defraud or betray them.
--Red student of history