- Is Socialism 'The American Way' ? -

[The_Outlaw]

Some people (Democrats mostly) are claiming that Socialism is as American as apple pie.
Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

Delegates At DNC Approve of Socialism | Video | TheBlaze.com

 

[fuhr52]

Our president wants us to believe that. The democrat party and the main stream media wants us to believe that. We continually get bombarded with, "government the road to prosperity" and "You didn't build that". Government social programs abound. Vilify the rich for what they do with their money. Praise the government for what they do with our money.

 

[HoJo]

Not no but hell no.
"and to the Republic for which it stands"

 

[Sir Diealotz]

Welcome to the United Socialist States of America

 

[Bob_M]

Yep, America, The melting....... or should I say, mutating pot.

 

[BC1]

Mr. Franklin, what kind of government have you left to us?

A republic. If you can keep it.

 

[Woody57]

I have absolutely nothing against those who prefer a socialistic society. There are several to choose from scattered around the world. I feel sure one way transportation could be arranged. America! Love it or Leave it!

 

[The_Outlaw]

In my opinion Socialism is practical Christianity. Therefore there is no danger of America becoming a socialist country while the so-called "Christians" continue to not practice what they preach.
The first socialist was Jesus Christ

What is it that they say about opinions being like @$$holes?
Everybody has one.

I mean no disrespect, but comparing Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) with socialism is asinine at best.

 

[fuhr52]

Jesus was talking about the individual not a government. As Woody57 stated, if you like socialism there are a number of places around the world that would love to have you. Has anyone noticed that socialist countries have to erect fences to keep there people from leaving and the US has to erect fences to keep illegals from entering. Why is that?

 

[mspt_99]

What is it that they say about opinions being like @$$holes?
Everybody has one.

Quaint expression but adds nothing to the debate.

I mean no disrespect, but comparing Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) with socialism is asinine at best.

This is an assertion and an assertion is not an argument, neither is repeated assertion a debate.

I didn't compare Jesus with socialism I said he was/is a socialist! In fact he was homeless and unemployed and he lived on the goodwill of others. I showed you biblical passages that showed he advocated socialism (if not for governments, at least for individuals [fuhr52]). Please feel free to show me passages where Jesus advocated for capitalism.

Here is one which demonstrates early Christians modelling socialist behaviour...

Acts 4.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

I think Marx must have borrowed some of his ideas from the Good Book

...and before you all start ranting and screaming, let me say that I'm not a Marxist, I'm not a communist, I'm not a capitalist, I'm not a democrat, I'm not a republican. I just want you to look out for your less fortunate brethren. Whatever government you Americans get will be the one you deserve. Your government will reflect what you individually sow.

Cheers
Gregg

The bible was written about people who were very committed to one another for the person of Jesus Christ. They banded together and shared all things in common so that they could reach out and serve the world around them. Those who entered the group had to share and do their part: in the extreme case two that didn't were killed. Sooo to compare Jesus and Biblical examples with current socialism is comparing oranges and a bowling ball. The vast majority of those served by government hand outs have no plans/desires/willingness to give back in any shape or form or any desire to participate in the greater good/plan/whatever. The Bible has plenty to say about those who don't change their ways but always take take take.

When people complain that our government is becoming socialist its not out of fear that those less fortunate will be taken care of, its out of fear of loss of freedom, loss of respect, loss of choice, loss of opportunity for individuals and society as a whole. Even some of those whom you call less fortunate don't want socialism in its current form. A form of Biblical socialism would be great but would NEVER EVER happen in America. The socialism we ARE getting is amoral, hedonistic, self serving, greedy BS under the guilt laiden lie of "helping those less fortunate."
IMHO.
Mspt

 

[fstroupe]

Making Jesus Christ out to be a socialist/community organizer is called "liberation theology" or "black liberation theology", and is the belief of both Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan, among others. Basically it is merely a way to make socialism more palatable to today's Christians.

Beware of those trying to trivialize or remove the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

There is only one form of socialism. Candy-coat it with whatever color shell you wish, it is still the same thing....wealth redistribution. It is the "American way" only because we have allowed liberals/progressives/socialists/Marxists like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, etc, to infect our republic with European socialist ideas.

Benjamin Franklin would be disappointed but not surprised, I would imagine.

 

[The_Outlaw]

Quaint expression but adds nothing to the debate.


This is an assertion and an assertion is not an argument, neither is repeated assertion a debate.

I didn't compare Jesus with socialism I said he was/is a socialist! In fact he was homeless and unemployed and he lived on the goodwill of others. I showed you biblical passages that showed he advocated socialism (if not for governments, at least for individuals [fuhr52]). Please feel free to show me passages where Jesus advocated for capitalism.

Here is one which demonstrates early Christians modelling socialist behaviour...

Acts 4.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

I think Marx must have borrowed some of his ideas from the Good Book
...and before you all start ranting and screaming, let me say that I'm not a Marxist, I'm not a communist, I'm not a capitalist, I'm not a democrat, I'm not a republican. I just want you to look out for your less fortunate brethren. Whatever government you Americans get will be the one you deserve. Your government will reflect what you individually sow.

Cheers
Gregg

Karl Marx was an Athiest & a Marxist, therefore he would not have "borrowed some of his ideas from the good book" as you have just bloviated.

Link Removed

You are so full of crap that your eyes are brown imvho.
~SMFH~

 

[fstroupe]

I think Marx must have borrowed some of his ideas from the Good Book

Sure he did...to help destroy Christianity. He didn't do as you do, using Bible verses to connect Christianity to your socialist European ideas....he decided that religion should just be destroyed.

...and before you all start ranting and screaming, let me say that I'm not a Marxist, I'm not a communist, I'm not a capitalist, I'm not a democrat, I'm not a republican. I just want you to look out for your less fortunate brethren. Whatever government you Americans get will be the one you deserve. Your government will reflect what you individually sow.

Cheers
Gregg

I don't think that you are a bad person, just extremely misguided. You don't have a clue, which is OK. What you don't realize is that yes, you are a Marxist.

You may not like being labeled as such, but what you believe is what a Marxist believes. The shoe does fit....call it "Marxist", "European socialist", "communist", or whatever. It all means the same thing, and it is what you believe in.

And yes, your European governments are reflecting what you Marxists have sown....they are all going bankrupt. As is ours, because of the fools in our government that have been corrupted by your Marxist ideas.

Jesus Christ put an individual mandate on helping the poor, and put Himself and His Father TOTALLY above governments in Matthew 22:21. He did not give Pontius Pilate the time of day. He spent his entire ministry criticizing the Jewish government. He did not trust governments, so he did not trust them to take care of the poor.

But you are not alone...pretty much the entire American left agrees with your screwed-up European ideas.

 

[fuhr52]

Well at least we can agree that there are different forms of socialism. Whatever you like to label things, I use the word "socialism" because it seems the closest approximation to ANY form of government that seems to remotely put the people first.

What socialist government ever put the people first? Controlling the people is the road to power. The first order of business for socialism to work, the short period of time it works, is to control the people and keep them under government control. Then to make sure the people stay put fences go up along the borders to keep them in. Soon as the people get a taste of freedom it's game over. Does it ever bother any of you liberals out there that the very group of people that the democrats continually demonize are the same people they stretch their hands out to for financial support.

 

[mspt_99]

What socialist government ever put the people first? Controlling the people is the road to power. The first order of business for socialism to work, the short period of time it works, is to control the people and keep them under government control. Then to make sure the people stay put fences go up along the borders to keep them in. Soon as the people get a taste of freedom it's game over. Does it ever bother any of you liberals out there that the very group of people that the democrats continually demonize are the same people they stretch their hands out to for financial support.

Yes that is it current socialism is bondage and control NOT putting poeple first.

 

[mspt_99]

Making Jesus Christ out to be a socialist/community organizer is called "liberation theology" or "black liberation theology", and is the belief of both Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan, among others. Basically it is merely a way to make socialism more palatable to today's Christians.

Beware of those trying to trivialize or remove the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

There is only one form of socialism. Candy-coat it with whatever color shell you wish, it is still the same thing....wealth redistribution. It is the "American way" only because we have allowed liberals/progressives/socialists/Marxists like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, etc, to infect our republic with European socialist ideas.

Benjamin Franklin would be disappointed but not surprised, I would imagine.

Just as a fuller explaination of my post, I said the "person" of Jesus Christ in replying to others. I was not taking away his Divinity as he was both fully God and full man, lest I come across and someone who merely thinks Jesus was just another "good person". (good person being an oxymoron since no one is truly "good" expect Jesus Christ himself.)
mspt

 

[Hudsonvalley]

We have been going in that direction for many years....a lot of us just had our heads down working so hard we didn't get a good look at what was happening around us...no consequences, no problems...no need to worry. We'll be your daddy....signed US Government (please remember us in November!)

 

[fstroupe]

:haha: You aren't the first American I've come across over the years who thinks that New Zealand is somewhere in Europe, but sadly I doubt you are the last. I do wonder what you teach in your schools over there...

Huh? Queen Elizabeth II is still your leader, right? Over half of your people are of European descent. You have a European government, as does Canada and Australia. I never mentioned any geography.

Our schools still teach that we had enough sense to get rid of the monarchy. Though it is hard to believe that our president hasn't apologized for that too.

 

[fstroupe]

Am I mistaken, but aren't those people you mentioned ex-presidents? If so then they were put there under your democratic system - by the people. Perhaps a more positive way to look at it is by calling it "growth" rather than infection.
You could look at it in the negative and call it decay - but then there is no more hope for you and you are headed the way of the Roman Empire...

When you don't destroy the infection, it comes back again and again.

It is decay....and as long as the American left tries to mock Europeans, there is no hope for us.

 

[BC1]

Am I mistaken, but aren't those people you mentioned ex-presidents? If so then they were put there under your democratic system - by the people. Perhaps a more positive way to look at it is by calling it "growth" rather than infection.
You could look at it in the negative and call it decay - but then there is no more hope for you and you are headed the way of the Roman Empire...

ALL empires throughout history eventually gone the way of the Romans. Such the evolution of civilization. Perhaps the Mulsim fundamentalist/extremist is the next empire. But NZ can sit things out again. Reminds me of Canada. You come to play poker but have nothing to bet with. We'll take care of the extremist/fundamentalists for you. Must be hard to not understand topics like liberty and freedom. Individual freedom, not socialism, is the cornerstone of America. Live free or die. Not at the dependency of the government, but rather AS the government.