Marxism is based on a solely materialistic perception of reality. There is belief in the supernatural or immaterial realm. This excludes the existence of God, angels and demons. All reality is material. Marxists believe that the mind is a product of the brain and does not survive death. So Marxists deny the existence of God and accept the Darwinian theory of evolution as fact. They will also stress the scientific process in observing reality.

Materialism ignores the evidence of man’s immaterial and immortal nature. It also ignores the evidence that the universe had a beginning and must have a Creator. It fails to explain how a material universe could be working toward a good purpose for humanity. The theory of evolution is accepted without critical evaluation. See below for some examples of comments:-

“Human DNA contains more organised information than the Encyclopedia Britannica. If the full text of the encyclopedia were to arrive in computer code from outer space, most people would regard this as proof of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. But when seen in nature, it is explained as the workings of random forces.” (George Sim Johnson “Did Darwin Get it Right?” The Wall Street Journal, October 15, 1999)

“90% of the talk of evolution is sheer nonsense not founded on observation and wholly unsupported by fact. This Museum is full of proof of the utter falsity of their view.” (Dr. Ethredge, British Museum of Science.)

“The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop.” (Dr. Edwin Conklin, evolutionist and professor of biology at Princeton University.)

Marx taught that when a given stage in economic history reaches maturity, the next stage will emerge. It is necessary, however, that some form of revolution take place to bring about this change. Marx identified six stages of economic history.

• Tribal communalism – The tribal group owned all things in common.
• Slave labour – Conquering groups enslaved their adversaries.
• Feudalism – Powerful landowners granted protection and small portions of land to “peasants” who worked the land for them.
• Capitalism – The “bourgeois” own the means of production, while the “proletariat” worked for wages.
• Socialism – After seizing the means of production from the bourgeois, the proletariat would institute a dictatorship through which it would cleanse society of all class distinctions based on private property.
• Communism – This is the final stage. As class distinctions disappeared, the state itself would fade away. Peace and prosperity would prevail..

Economic classes are not always the most determinative influence in society. Race and religion are often stronger. Capitalist societies did not “self-destruct” as Marx predicted. The conditions of the working class actually improved, due in part to enlightened social legislation. Marx overlooked the economic importance of factory production, tools, materials, training, sales, etc.

There are some advantages of capitalism over socialism. For example, it encourages people to band together in ways that utilise their personal strengths. It allows millions of people to make day-to-day economic decisions rather than rely on the knowledge of a handful of central planners trying to manage the economy.

History has shown that Marx’s Socialism and Communism have failed to meet Marx’s utopia. Marxist societies have created a new “elite” class of rulers and managers who are constantly fighting for power. For example, in the 1930s Stalin purged the most dedicated communists. These “elite” have too much power with no “checks and balances”. Economically these societies have failed except when they have reverted to a degree of free market practices.

Marxists are atheists and so deny any morality based on God’s character or commandments. They believe ethics are based on economics. For the Marxist, anything that advances communism is moral. This means that lying, terror and killing are moral if they advance the communist cause. It is no problem if millions of lives must be sacrificed now as it will promote the future generation in a communist utopia.

Rudolph J. Rummel has done some of the most exhaustive statistics of history’s genocide and state mass murder. He has come to a simple conclusion – Democracy brings peace, life and prosperity. A powerful state brings war, genocide, death, poverty and famine. For example:-

• USSR – E.g. Joseph Stalin alone murdered about 40 million of his own citizens.
• China – E.g. Tse-Tung Mao alone murdered about 37 million of his own citizens.
• Cambodia – Pol Pot murdered over 2 million of his own citizens.

Marxist ethics are a tool for oppression by the State. It certainly hasn’t been for the good of the people!.

Marx was an atheist and believed that God was simply the creation of people. He thought that only when the people give up their belief in God will they be truly free. It is well-known that Marx called religion the “opiate of the people”. Marx believed that when the communist utopia arrived, people would no longer feel the need for religion. Religion would vanish, just as would the state.

As a result of these convictions about religion, communist countries have always opposed religion. Often they have sought to actively destroy it. At other times they have sought to enlist the help of religious people to promote their cause. They have always at least sought to control religion, believing that as the younger generation was educated in science, religion would fade away.

Marx’s atheism ignores the evidence for God’s existence and the historical evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity. Marxists find it hard to explain why religion has persisted and even continued to grow. Human nature has not changed due to a change in the economic system. Christians have been responsible for the advancement of women, the abolition of slavery, the building of hospitals and orphanages, the feeding of the hungry, the training/education of workers and many other social projects in poor countries.

Marxists believe that humanity has evolved from animals and each person’s humanity is determined by economic forces. Christianity says that humanity was created by God and is unique from the rest of creation because we are made in the image of God.

History has shown that economic change under communism has not produced any radical change in human nature. Since the fall of the communist regime, the people of Russia have begun to see the effects of the lack of a religious foundation in their culture. Communism has left the people without any reason for pursuing an unselfish ethic. A poll by Pravda in the early 1990s revealed that people in Russia would rather spend their money on alcohol than support needy children. Marx’s theory has been disproved by history.

The Bible mentions a time of perfect government and peace in Micah 4:1-4. It has nothing to do with Communism or Capitalism for that matter. It is a kingdom where Jesus Christ is ruler. The Bible tells us of this kingdom of world peace. Marxists need love, prayer and encouraged to study God’s Word. Our hope will be fully realised when Jesus returns to rule over all the earth with justice.