Socialism and Communism Violate the 8th Commandment

“You shall not steal” is a fundamental biblical commandment that’s found in both Testaments (Ex. 20:15; 21:16; Lev. 19:11, 13; Matt. 19:18; Rom. 13:9). If property is theft, as one Christian stated on his Facebook page, then every person in the world is a thief because everyone owns something. Let’s stop using words like socialism and communism. People are advocating theft by using the power and authority of civil governments to confiscate wealth so the State can grow in power and wealth. And with theft comes the loss of freedom, prosperity, and movement. Think of the Berlin Wall, a microcosm of what Communism becomes. Communist East Berlin was so good that a wall needed to be built to keep people from fleeing the tyranny. Watch this short video.

The Berlin Wall went up on August 13, 1961. Construction began overnight on August 12-13, 1961, when East German soldiers and police encircled West Berlin with barbed wire and concrete, physically dividing the city and halting the mass exodus of East Germans to the West. At this moment in history, we can move freely from state to state. There are no walls. But if the Federal government is taken over by Socialists, Communists, and Islamists, there will be no freedom of movement.

Christian Economics in One Lesson

Christian economics must begin with the issue of ultimate ownership. This sets it apart from modern economic analysis, which begins with the issue of scarcity. Second, this leads to the issue of theft, which in turn raises the issue of ethics. The ultimate form of causation in human history is ethical: right vs. wrong. Modern economists do not share this view. In fact, it goes beyond this. They openly reject it. They proclaim economic analysis as value-free—this is self-deception. It is a variation of an ancient temptation: “Hath God said?” Yes, He has. “Thou shalt not steal.”

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Property rights are fundamental in the Bible, so much so that they’ve been written into our nation’s laws:

Iron pins are a common and useful means of identifying property corners and they and other similar monuments serve a useful purpose. The installation and maintenance of permanent monuments identifying land corners even preserves the good order of society itself. From earliest times the law not only authorized but protected landmarks. Interference with landmarks of another was a violation of the Mosaic law. See Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17; Job 24:2; Proverbs 22:28; 23:10. (256 Ga. 54, International Paper Realty Company v. Bethune. No. 43092. Supreme Court of Georgia, June 10, 1986).

In a list of those who do evil, the book of Job includes those who “remove the landmarks” and thereby “seize and devour flocks” (24:2). Note that theft by government is not an exception.

In 1 Kings 21, we read the story of the prophet Elijah who rebuked Ahab and Jezebel for the murder of Naboth and their theft of his vineyard. Did Elijah say that this was a way to achieve economic equality by diminishing the wealth of some for the benefit of others? He pronounced severe judgment on Ahab and Jezebel for their theft.

If property is theft, and civil governments take property from some people and give it to others, then these governments are guilty of theft by holding the property and transferring it to people who don’t have any right to it. Those who receive the property and those who vote for politicians who support taking property from some people so that it can be given to others are engaged in violating the Eighth Commandment.

The great Walter Williams described theft in a way that most people would not consider such actions to be theft, and, unfortunately, that includes Christians.

I do not believe the government has a role whatsoever in getting rid of inequality. The point you have to recognize is that there’s no tooth fairy or Santa Claus giving the congressmen the money. So the only way the government can give one American citizen one dollar is first, through intimidation, threats, and coercion, confiscate that dollar from some other Americans. Now, you should not confuse my disagreement with the redistribution with my saying that you should not take care of people who are in need. I believe in helping your fellow man by reaching into your own pockets; doing so is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into somebody else’s pockets to help your fellow man in need is despicable. And for the Christians among us, when God gave Moses the commandment, “thou shalt not steal,” He did not mean “thou shalt steal” unless you got a majority vote in Congress.

Tyrannical regimes always promise a better life. What tyrants ever said they would make things worse for people? Has socialism created a better life for mankind? It hasn’t. Economic liberty has. Economic liberty is based on the operating principle of “You shall not steal,” even if it’s by majority vote to promise free stuff to people who demand it but did not earn it.

Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators

In Productive Christians: A Biblical Response to Socialist Economics, David Chilton exposes the follies and fallacies of socialism, but he also systematically outlines the biblical alternative — an alternative that lays the groundwork for real justice, progress, prosperity, and freedom for the rich, the poor, and everyone in between. First published nearly half a century ago, it is more relevant and more prescient than ever. Chilton’s crystalline prose and take-no-prisoners style is as entertaining as it is informative. This is the way books on economic issues should be written: biblical, understandable, and practical.

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The man who imagined a world with “no religion” and “no possessions” left an estate worth more than $275 million, “not bad for one who referred to himself as an ‘instinctive socialist,’ for one who believed in the abolition of ‘all money, police, and government.’” His early flirtation with socialist theory was naive. John Lennon’s estate is currently valued between $800 million and $1 billion. Lennon’s estate continues to make millions of dollars every year.

Maybe he was persuaded to change his tune by the lyrics from fellow ‘Beatle’ George Harrison’s “Taxman” song. Its lyrics attack the high levels of progressive taxation taken by the British Labour government. At the Beatles’ income level, it was 95 percent. In the January 22, 1981, Playboy interview, Lennon admitted that he “threw in a few one-liners to help the song along.” In a later version of the song, Harrison added: “If you’re overweight, I’ll tax your fat.”

Lennon knew that sending money to poor nations was counterproductive.

When it was pointed out that a Beatles reunion could possibly raise $200 million for a poverty-stricken country in South America, Lennon had no time for it. “You know, America has poured billions into places like that. It doesn’t mean a damn thing. After they’ve eaten that meal, then what? It lasts for only a day. After the $200,000,000 is gone, then what? It goes round and round in circles.”

Cutting USAID from foreign countries will save the USA money, and it will force socialist countries to free up markets for people. It’s happened in Argentina. It’s also happening in other South American nations. Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile have all elected leaders who are more conservative or centrist than the governments they replaced, while Cuba and Venezuela are collapsing.

American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources