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Primitive Communism.
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Platonic Communism.
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Primitive Christian Communism.
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Medieval Communism.
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Utopian Communism.
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Utopian Socialism.
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Modern Christian Communism.
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Scientific Communism.
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Liberation Theology in Latin America.
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Contemporary Christian Communism.
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Primitive Communism.
Primitive Communism, or the primitive commune system, is a social system based on the communal ownership of the means of production. It is the first social form in human history, lasting for several million years. In primitive society, property is shared, and each person contributes equally, working for the common good and sharing everything. The primitive hunting and gathering society is founded on equal social relations and common ownership of resources. Primitive humans, naked and defenseless, could only survive by forming close-knit unions, large or small, to fend off terrible enemies in the wilderness. Primitive people could only live within such unions and could only exist alongside their respective unions. Ancient Chinese descriptions of an ideal society are concentrated in the ideas of "Great Harmony" and the "Great Harmony" world. "In the great way, the world is for the public" (from the Book of Rites). The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirms the religious communist life, society, and faith of the Jews around 200 BC. They practiced communal ownership, allowing both the wealthy and the destitute to enjoy the same resources. Living together, they served and helped each other. They were to love their neighbors as themselves. -
Platonic Communism.
Plato was the first classical writer to propose the idea of communism. In 375 BC, Plato published his monumental work "The Republic," criticizing the notion of private property while proposing the idea of communal ownership of property. Plato's idealism advocates for a division of labor and cooperation in society, rather than oppression and conflict between classes. The abolition of private property, with all resources uniformly distributed by the state, ensures equality among all citizens. -
Primitive Christian Communism.
Christianity originated among the poor. Jesus said that it would be harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle because "the kingdom of heaven is for those who share their wealth with the poor." Thus, the solution to this problem is that all believers live together, "all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, as anyone had need." "No one said that any of the things he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common." This communal living has two benefits: first, the cost of collective living is significantly lower than that of many individual independent lives; second, this practice of communal ownership eliminates inequality among people. In the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, the sharing of basic necessities is a widely recognized value. Jesus' death is also seen as a noble sacrifice for all beings. His death was not only deified but also imbued with a sense of mission, thus embodying the nobility of human morality and ultimate truth. Important concepts built on this foundation include: equality, freedom (of the soul), community (of the group), humanity (internationalism), nobility, and selflessness (brotherly love), among others. The communist life and emotions of primitive Christians are indisputable. The Acts of the Apostles records that the apostles had everything in common. Like Jesus, they sacrificed themselves for the redemption of humanity. Paul's universal salvation is marked by Jesus' crucifixion, dividing the world into the old and new eras, with the final judgment marking the beginning of the new era. Clement I stated: "Just as air cannot be distributed, neither can sunlight; the other properties given to us in the world for common use should not be distributed but should indeed be managed collectively." -
Medieval Communism.
Like primitive Christian communism, medieval and Reformation-era communism is also a form of asceticism with a mystical quality, advocating for a life of simplicity and seeking aid from mysterious superhuman powers. Discussions of communism in the medieval period were conducted by theological thinkers. The Franciscans and Dominicans were strong proponents. The encyclopedic theologian Thomas Aquinas categorized communism as an ideal realm, acknowledging that the pure state had disappeared and that the poor should be aided. Aquinas stated: "If others have too little, one cannot have too much." Menno Simons claimed that Christ entered his soul, giving him insight into God's will and a divine mission. He believed that the kingdom of heaven should be sought in real life rather than the afterlife, and the mission of believers is to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth in anticipation of Christ's return. Menno's program is a form of Christian communism that initiated the early tradition of Christian socialism, although he employed violent revolutionary means at the time. Early church fathers from both East and West not only adhered to the biblical stance on the poor but also advocated for the practice of primitive communist models in life. Medieval theologian Aquinas' discussions on property, wealth, income distribution, and pricing exhibit characteristics of modern socialist society. -
Utopian Communism.
The progenitor of utopian communism, and also the ancestor of modern communism, is the Christian communist thinker Thomas More. At the end of 1516, More's book "Utopia" was published in England, regarded as the foundational work of socialism, and More is naturally seen as the founder of early utopian socialism, marking the beginning of modern socialism. The core idea in "Utopia" is a critique of private property. More asserts in "Utopia" that "private property is the root of all evil." Therefore, More believes that only by abolishing private property can fair distribution and equality be achieved. More's utopia is a completely rational republic, depicting a beautiful society where all means of production are collectively owned, living necessities are distributed according to need, everyone engages in productive labor, and there is ample time for scientific research and entertainment. Russell believes that "in Utopia, just like in Plato's Republic, everything is collectively owned, because wherever there is private property, the public good cannot thrive; without a communist system, there will be no equality." More is "a great author of remarkable talent who harmonized Christian charity with Platonic communism." In "Utopia," he describes an ideal society without private property, exploitation, where everyone contributes according to their ability and is distributed according to need. He firmly believes in Christianity, and the residents of his Utopia are devout Christians. Every utopian socialist has their own vision of Utopia, such as Campanella's "City of the Sun," Andrea's "Christian City," and the famous British philosopher Francis Bacon's "New Atlantis," among others. These utopian works provide detailed descriptions of their envisioned ideal societies, with principles largely centered around communal ownership, distribution according to need, equality and love among all, and social peace and harmony. -
Utopian Socialism.
The three major utopian socialists of the 19th century—Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Owen—demonstrate that their visions of a new society are based on the development of capitalism and bear characteristics of the industrial era. They viewed the realization of an ideal society as a product of the transformation of the existing capitalist society, and they each envisioned new blueprints and reforms. Saint-Simon proposed many reform plans, Fourier designed the phalanx as the basic unit of an ideal society, while Owen conducted communist experiments in his factories, particularly in American immigrant communities. Saint-Simon possessed a genius's insight and a learned mind, perceiving the seeds of nearly all later socialist thoughts. Fourier's critique of capitalism is particularly outstanding; his writings radiate satire and criticism on almost every page, exposing the ugliness of what is deemed a civilized society. Owen's doctrines and activities have a "practical nature." The characteristic of Saint-Simon's utopian socialism is an industrial society; nonetheless, his last work was "New Christianity," concluding that the future communism is the birth of New Christianity. The future ideal society should fully embody the spirit of Christian charity; relationships between people should reflect the brotherly relationships advocated by Christianity. -
Modern Christian Communism.
Weitling (founder of the League of the Just) published "The Gospel of the Poor Sinners" (1843), advocating early Christian communism and proposing to establish heaven on earth. He quoted 100 Bible verses to prove that the boldest conclusions of free thought are entirely consistent with the spirit of Christian doctrine. He said, "Let us support the poor against their enemies with the Gospels that can be found in almost every household!" He proposed the idea of a democratic communist family alliance. He preached communism through missionary work, using phrases like "the kingdom of heaven is near" to signify the impending arrival of the communist ideal. The term "socialism" was first used in 1803 by Italian missionary Giuliani in his book "Refutation of Anti-Socialism," in opposition to capitalism's "individualism." It specifically refers to human sociality, advocating that people should serve the society ordained by God. The term "communism" emerged in the mid-1830s, beginning to circulate secretly among French workers and appearing in print from 1840. Figures like De Samin and Proudhon asserted that "communism is not a utopia," and this term was used during the Paris Commune of 1871. In the 18th century, French thinkers like Rousseau and Saint-Simon further developed theories related to socialism, laying the foundation for the eventual formation of the concept of "Christian socialism" in the 19th century. British priests like Kingsley and Morris ultimately coined the term "Christian socialism," initiating a reformist type of Christian socialism, which coexisted with two other types in the 19th century: Christian socialism for the lower classes and monastic Christian socialism. -
Scientific Communism.
The League of the Just, in which Marx and Engels participated, comprised members who were all Christian communists, as communists at that time could only come from Christianity. Under the influence of Marx and Engels, these Christians gradually accepted their ideas, embracing the doctrine of scientific communism and renaming the League of the Just to the Communist League. Although Marx and Engels did not believe in Christianity, many of their doctrines, especially those concerning communism based on public ownership, from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs, developed from absorbing and referencing utopian and utopian socialist thoughts. Utopian and utopian socialist ideas were proposed by masters who either believed in Christianity or were influenced by Christian thought, deeply inspired by Christianity. Particularly, their advocacy for protecting the interests of the poor and establishing social justice is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. The ideas of treating the poor well, assisting the needy, and fairness and justice run throughout the entire Bible. It is evident that tracing the origins of communist doctrine reveals that Christianity is indeed its earliest source. Marx and Engels lived in Germany, England, and France, three countries profoundly influenced by Christianity. Especially in their homeland, Germany, the impact of Christianity was significant. The historically significant Reformation movement in Christianity arose in Germany, particularly through Luther's translation of the Bible into German, making Christianity widely known among the German populace. In the "Collected Works of Marx and Engels," there are over 300 references to biblical allusions, not including repetitions, with more than 80 biblical figures mentioned. Marx was of Jewish descent, belonging to the Jewish nation that birthed Christian civilization. In fact, his entire life, from birth onward, was unconsciously immersed in the influence of Jewish civilization and Christianity. Marx's communist doctrine stands from the perspective of the proletariat, referred to as the doctrine of the proletariat. The proletariat is precisely the poor repeatedly mentioned in the Christian Bible. Before the emergence of communist doctrine and the earlier utopian and utopian socialist thoughts, no culture had ever valued and cared for the poor as Christianity did; no culture had ever made so many predictions about future society as Christianity did; and no culture had ever so deeply influenced generation after generation of Westerners as Christianity did! Some believe that the sources of Marxism are German classical philosophy, British classical economics, and utopian socialist thought. In fact, these are merely the raw materials for Marx and Engels to produce the ideological product of Marxism; as for why Marx and Engels wanted to produce this ideological product, why they had such ideas, and what thoughts enabled these raw materials to be processed into the ideological product of Marxism, the only answer is Christianity. -
Liberation Theology in Latin America.
Latin American liberation theology emerged in the late 1960s, marked by the publication of Gutierrez's famous work "Liberation Theology." It advocates that those who believe in God (the "chosen people of God") should pay attention to issues of fairness and justice in human systems, such as the hereditary nature of poverty, the concentration of economic resources in the hands of a few, and issues of racial discrimination—these are the targets of liberation theology. Its historical background is faced with a highly unjust society where the government has no plans to improve people's livelihoods. On the contrary, the government often protects the interests of the wealthy, causing the poor to become victims. To solve the problem of poverty, it is necessary to abandon the rights of the wealthy and the government's oppression of the people. Latin American liberation theologians focus their theological reflection on "seeing God's liberating action in the struggles and sufferings of the poor." The theology they care about is one that can be practiced and engaged in the liberation process. This idea of loving all people is purely the attitude of life that Jesus taught the world, and Jesus' love for others directly stems from the biblical teachings in Deuteronomy; liberation theologians name their doctrines accordingly: all Christians should possess the noble character of Jesus, which is the true meaning of the term "Christian." As a type of Christian socialism, liberation theology advocates that God's chosen people should focus on fairness and justice in the world, thus the experiences of the poor and their efforts to seek liberation become the focal point of liberation theology. The theology they envision is one that can be practiced and engaged in the liberation process, thus they introduce Marxist socio-economic theory as their analytical tool while conducting theological reflection. Throughout the history of Christian development, there has always been a tradition of depicting Jesus as a liberator, with generations of people continuously reinterpreting its meaning to inspire humanity's struggle for liberation. European Christian socialism has profoundly influenced liberation theology, and liberation theology has also reciprocated by enriching the European Christian socialist movement. The influence of Christian socialist thought on European party politics has continued from the early 20th century to the present. -
Contemporary Christian Communism.
In the April 2015 issue of "Young Writers," Ge Yimin's paper "Contemporary Christian Communism—Ge Yimin's 'Nerve'" was published. Abstract: In September 2014, Mr. Ge Yimin from Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, published "Nerve" in Hong Kong, integrating Christianity with communism, innovatively developing Christianity by incorporating communist elements. China is a socialist country, and Christian communism is the only path for the localization of Christianity in China once again. Keywords: Christianity, communism, love, equality. Ge Yimin: a signed writer for Hong Kong Four Seasons Publishing, male, born in 1969, from Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, Han nationality, graduated from the Chinese Department of Nanjing University. He is the author of the modern prophetic book "Nerve." His thoughts have two major sources: Christianity and communism. In today's two major revolutions (socialized large-scale production and the internet revolution), the world has become one, and the material conditions for achieving a communist society are already in place; it only awaits the spiritual conditions to be met, namely renewing the human spirit. The dawn of communism has appeared in the East of the world and is about to illuminate the globe, fundamentally changing the world.
Chapter Ten of "Nerve": The Communist Manifesto of Christianity
21. Communism was first proposed by Christian theologians. As a doctrine, communism was initially established by Christian theologians, and concepts such as "distribution according to labor" and "distribution according to need" were also first proposed by these theologians.
55. The necessity and possibility of shared wealth. Natural law and divine love should be the foundation of all laws. All people must have equal living conditions to ensure that everyone can live carefree, in friendship and happiness. Therefore, it is essential to implement shared wealth, abolish the monetary system, utilize all wealth equally, distribute labor equally, distribute products equally, and enjoy equally. Education should be equal, gender equality should be upheld, and each person should only have the right to own and enjoy as much as they need, without exceeding that limit. No one has the right to pursue more consumption and less labor, and no one can gain more enjoyment and do less work because of greater knowledge; otherwise, they become aristocrats. "Humanity, maturing towards worldly perfection, is the harvest; the communal ownership of worldly wealth is the first fruit of this harvest." Harvest the fruits of maturing humanity according to the law of love—shared wealth.
96. Material equality can solve the vast majority of social problems. Moreover, society will continue to progress, and vitality will not be lost. From a divine perspective, we seek God's actions, which are inexhaustible; from a human perspective, the continuous emergence of human needs drives the development of material conditions, and the development of material conditions continues to generate needs; needs will never disappear.
97. It is precisely because of the existence of wealth disparity that people pursue material wealth as the sole purpose of life, neglecting the true meaning of life.
165. The final form of human society refers to distribution according to need, with society continually developing and the quality of needs becoming increasingly high. A communist government is a union of free individuals, no longer a machine of dictatorship. The freedom of communism is built upon the freedom of each person. Now, material conditions for communism are at hand; spiritual unity, that is, renewing the human spirit, is underway. The gospel of Ge Yiminism is spreading globally and being accepted by humanity.