Religious communism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Religious communism is a form of communism centered on religious principles. The term usually refers to a number of egalitarian and utopian religious societies practicing the voluntary dissolution of private property, so that society's benefits are distributed according to a person's needs, and every person performs labor according to their abilities. "Religious communism" has also been used to describe the ideas of religious individuals and groups who advocate the application of communist policies on a wider scale, often joining secular communists in their struggle to abolish capitalism.
The use of the word communism in a religious context predates the use of the term to describe more secular forms of communism, such as that advocated by François Babeuf in the 18th Century, and Karl Marx in the 19th Century. Because of the secular nature of Marxism, many religious people on the political right oppose the use of the term communism to refer to religious communal societies, preferring names such as communalism instead.
In the Western world, the term religious communism is often used as a synonym for Christian communism.
The main difference between religious communism and the political variants is the element of voluntarism vs. compulsion. The political variants enforce collective ownership in various ways (see also Socialism).
[edit] Examples of religious communism
The term religious communism has been ascribed to the social arrangement practiced by many orders of monks and nuns of such religions as Christianity, Taoism, Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism. As recorded in the Bible, the first Christians lived in communities organized according to communist-like principles:
- "The community of believers were of one heart and one mind. None of them ever claimed anything as his own; rather, everything was held in common. With power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great respect was paid to them all; nor was there anyone needy among them, for all who owned property or houses sold them and lay them at the feet of the apostles to be distributed to everyone according to his need." (Acts 4:32-35; see also 2:42-47)
Various other Christian communities have organized themselves along similar principles since then. Due to the generally small size of these communities, little is known about the ones that are believed to have existed more than a few centuries ago. There are several examples from recent history, however, including the Hutterites, the Shakers, some groups within the Religious Society of Friends, and the United Order.
The Diggers movement in England in the year 1649 may also be described as an example of religious communism. The Diggers were particularly concerned with the communal ownership of land.
From the early 20th century to the present day, the most prominent form of religious communism has been the one practiced in the kibbutzim (collective communities) of Israel.
