My Response to the Works of Karl Marx

Beware Marx:

Why should one study the works of Karl Marx? The reader either loves him or hates him. Dark and abstract are his ideas of dialectic materialism and the abolishment of family, classical education, religion and private property. The reasons to pursue a careful study include the following. Reading Marx reveals the antithesis of religion, which when studied gives greater understanding of one’s own belief just as the carpenter compares two boards to find the one that is straight. His ideas cause readers to ask questions, to argue, to reach deep inside themselves to understand their own beliefs and the effects of their choices. However dark and odious are his conceptions, he has greatly influenced most of the world’s modern politics and economics.

I wish to compare Marx’s ideas with some of the fundamental principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. The first is the divine directive to “put off the natural man.” The spiritual man must dominate the natural man through believing in and partaking of the Atonement. It is a journey of self-mastery in line with God’s moral code as a means of Eternal Life. In direct opposition, Marx professes world happiness when the natural man dominates the spiritual man, even to the point of destroying him. “The more man puts into God,” scorns Marx, “the less he retains in himself.” It is his goal to elevate man higher than God “The criticism of religion,” Marx writes, “ends in the teaching that man is the highest being for man, it ends, that is, with the categorical imperative to overthrow all conditions in which man is a debased, forsaken, contemptible being forced into servitude.” His view depended upon the working class, the proletariats, rising up to dominate the upper classes; to be prepared to revolt against the French aristocracy.

Another comparison is the task to remove human error and suffering. Marxism endeavors to take the place of the Savior’s divine role as Redeemer by fixing all the societal problems associated with affliction and sin. First it must remove all religion. If there are no moral codes there can be no sin. “Communists preach no morality at all,” profess Marx, “They do not put to people the moral demand: Love one another, be not egoists, etc.; on the contrary, they know very well that egoism, like sacrifice, is under specific conditions a necessary form of the individual’s struggle for survival.” If there is no capitalism or division of labor there is no exploitation. If there is no family, there can be no division of labor.

Finally, the Saints of the Latter Days are admonished to study the scriptures and their heritage in order to remember the many good things the Lord has done to bless his children. Marx attacks the study of history, as it is not relevant to a communist society. He seems to think that if there is no classical education there will be no remembrance of the rich history that reminds the masses of the right paths to take or how to think and act in every condition. Today our education spends much of the time teaching multi-culturalism instead of a balance of the rich history and heritage. It’s goal leans toward teaching the embarrassing and the degrading class struggles just as Marx dictated. We need a balance of all history. Remember William Wilberforce who, because he understood the degradation of the slaves, stood up as a hero for humankind. Remember Christopher Columbus who was "wrought upon by the spirit" to discover this land for the preparation of the Restoration of the gospel? Because of his voyage, we know from the annals of history and the Book of Mormon that the descendants of Nephi were to be scattered and afflicted, but that if they would return to his fold, they would be blessed beyond measure. I fear that if we forget the stories, the heroes and the Lord’s hand in all the annals of history, we will lose the greatest heritage, that of the great founding of our country. Preparing to usher in the Restoration of the Gospel, many great and common people were led to find and found this land with good government. We can keep this if we study and learn from all facets of history, not just the facet of class struggle.