SOCIALISM.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 18, 21 July 1894, Page 2

SOCIALISM.

I TO THE EDITOR OF THE S7AK. Sir, —In a letter published in your paper of Wednesday, a Mr Benfcly expresses certain opinions with regard to the mission and teaching of our blessed Lord, which I regard as exceedingly dangerous and misleading, and I ask tor a small portion of your space to point i out how groundless and uu scriptural they are. Mr Bently is an ardent Socialist, and he would fain have us believe that Jesus Chri.st was a Socialist. Sir, this is nothing new. The attempt has often been made to represent Christ as merely a social and political reformer, whose object was only to defend the poor against thcs rich, and the politically oppressed against their rulers. Nothing has, however, ever come of these attempts, because the words of Christ could never bo twisted into any such meaning, and because, also, the field of social reform and philanthrophy was alread3 r occupied by those who took a more divine view of Jesus, and a more spiritual view of His teaching. Christ's object was a far greater than any political one. He sought to bring men into a right relation to God. The salvation he brought wan a spiritual one ; it holds in its bosom indeed, and will ultimately lead on to, all possible improvements iv man's lot, but chese were not proposed nor directly aimed at by Christ. From any interference with the political state of the world Jesus kept strictly and severely aloof. When one came to Him requesting Him to arbitrate between himself and his brother with respect to an inheritance, He answered sternly : " Man, who made me a judge or divider over you '? " He kuew that if he made himself a mere political or social reformer His high office of Saviour of Men would be fatally compromised. On another occasion, when the Scribes came to Him to consult Him as to whether it was right to pay tribute to Ctesar or no, he repudiated the offices of political teacher or reformer, replying simply, " Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." It is true Christ uttered solemn warnings with reference to the spiritual danger of riches, " How hardly shall they that have riches enter the kingdom of Heaven " ; but then he explains that to mean " How hardly shall they that trust in riches enter into the kingdom of Heaven." When did he propose to remove this difficulty by forbidding the possession of private property, as the Socialists do ? Iv fact, Christ evidently expected that there would always be both rich and poor in the world. On one occasion He said to His disciples : The poor ye have always with you." As for the young man Christ toldto sell c.nd all give to the poor, I would merety remark that Christ was in that case putting to the test a young Pharisee who was professing loudly his willingness to do anjthing for the sake of eternal life. Christ's words proved to the jyoung man himself and to the bystanders that he was more wordlymiuded than he professed to be, but the words of Christ here are certainly not to be taken as a universal command. I would remark hero that the virtue of alms giving, recommended in this passage, like so many other virtues, would be impossible in the Socialistic state — nay, the command to sell all could not be obeyed, because the man would have no property to sell, and there would be no oue consequently to buy. In fact, there would be total prohibition. Delightful consummation .' I am, etc. Hugh M. Murray.