A few questions I have.

[redshirt]

I live in a capitalist country and naturally I own a few things I'm wanting to be a Communist does that mean I have to get rid of my personal property?

Also I'm not religious but I think one should have the right to practice a religion as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. I heard there was Christian Communism does that mean that one of any religion can be a Communist?

[LOLseph Stalin]

I live in a capitalist country and naturally I own a few things I'm wanting to be a Communist does that mean I have to get rid of my personal property?

First of all, under a Communist society you would still own your clothes, house, etc. It's anything that would be exploiting others that you wouldn't own such as a factory where you would have people working for almost nothing while you're profitting. That's the kind of thing we're against.


Also I'm not religious but I think one should have the right to practice a religion as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. I heard there was Christian Communism does that mean that one of any religion can be a Communist?

I personally have no problem with the religion aspect as long as the believers don't preach and keep all worship confined within their own homes.

[mikelepore]

"Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that it does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labor of others by means of such appropriations." --- Communist Manifesto, 1848

[nightcrowred]

That was one of my conserns also, but the answer is Yes you still keep your clothes, your mothers wedding dress, Personal Items. Just as someone else had said its mainly businesses that are used to exploit people, where they make nothing but one person prospers from the labors. As for the Religous aspects, (Some not all but some..) there are sects of religous factions that promote peace, and unity. Its the ones that use the religoun to impose laws and oppression amongst its masses. I'm a CPUSA member, and never has it been said even once about the demolition of religoun. But it would definatly deepen the seperation of Church and state. The corner stone of the USA is the constitution and the Bill of rights, thus stating (Right to a religion) "Sorry for the bad spelling no spell check" and I know for most if not all Communists freedom and the bill of rights is unchangable, and unable to be taken away from the American people. I think its also the same way with other countries. I dont know however.. But we all must have respect for each others beliefs. Thats why we all each other comrades.

[Rjevan]

I live in a capitalist country and naturally I own a few things I'm wanting to be a Communist does that mean I have to get rid of my personal property?
No, not at all, we don't want some sort of primitivism where everybody lives unpropertied in the woods, we wan't to socialise the means of production and dispossess the big companies and not some lower-middle class persons. ;)


Also I'm not religious but I think one should have the right to practice a religion as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. I heard there was Christian Communism does that mean that one of any religion can be a Communist?
Yes, practically one of any religion can be a Communist, we have a Christian Communist group here and I think some Islamic Communists, too.
I personally don't see why you should need religion in a communist society but most of us are no militant Atheists and as long as there is no religious opression and popes who refer to infallibility I personally have no problem with some people praying to whatever.
Marx criticised religion because it helped (and still helps) the burgeoisie and the ruling class to keep the poor people and the working class down through telling them nice stories how they will be rewarded in heaven for their suffering and forbid them to revolt. And sexist, homophobic and anti-abortion/condom statements by the pope and the churches are other reasons why religion isn't too popular with most Communists.

[ZeroNowhere]

Marx criticised religion because it helped (and still helps) the burgeoisie and the ruling class to keep the poor people and the working class down through telling them nice stories how they will be rewarded in heaven for their suffering and forbid them to revolt
Um, technically, he was using 'opiate' more in the sense of 'painkiller' there than 'drug that people give to others to keep them in line' or whatever.

[STJ]

I live in a capitalist country and naturally I own a few things I'm wanting to be a Communist does that mean I have to get rid of my personal property?

Also I'm not religious but I think one should have the right to practice a religion as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. I heard there was Christian Communism does that mean that one of any religion can be a Communist?


Every single personal item you own you keep.

I am not religious person at all but if you keep it in your home i dont have a problem with that.

[Bitter Ashes]

I live in a capitalist country and naturally I own a few things I'm wanting to be a Communist does that mean I have to get rid of my personal property?

Private property reffers to what's known as "means of production". Currently, unless you're self-employed (bourgeois), then you are required to basicly beg to be allowed to use the means of production of the bourgeois. The means of production in the strictest sense be machinary in a factory or farm, but also covers sitautions where you're not actualy producing something, but you still have to beg the bourgeois to allow you to work and earn a wage. That applies to stuff like retail, or marketting, entertainment, etc and some of these will actualy serve no purpose after a revolution, so you'd be encouraged to spend a few hours a week in a production enviroment (albiet without managers screaming at you and trying to squeeze as much productivity from you at the expense of your comfort).

The products that you use would basicly be free. If you needed a box of cornflakes, or a TV, then you'd simply collect one. The work you do wouldnt be waged either. It's simply assumed that you're doing your part to produce and that if you need something then you need it and it shouldnt be denied.

To summarise, "Work according to abiliity and recieve according to need". I'm not sure who that quote is from and I probably quoted it wrong, but it sums it up pretty well imo.


Also I'm not religious but I think one should have the right to practice a religion as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. I heard there was Christian Communism does that mean that one of any religion can be a Communist?
I'm atheist too. I think most of people here are, or at the very least, follow humanism whether they realise it or not :p

Communism's stance is secularism though. There's no such thing as a thought crime and religons would be free to practice. However, holding a religous belief would not entitle you to a position of power over your other human biengs (nobody would have that!). I'd take a look into secularism more if you're intrested. It's basicly the seperation of religion from politics.

And welcome :)

[Tjis]

To all of you who say religion should only practiced at home and not in public...
Isn't that a bit like saying "yes, homosexuals can be homosexual, but they can't hold hands in public or show their homosexuality in any way". (that was actually used as an argument by our former immigration minister to justify sending homosexual refugees back to Iran)

If you can only be secretly religious then that's oppression.

By the way, I'm an atheist myself. Just pointing out the hypocrisy.

[Bitter Ashes]

To all of you who say religion should only practiced at home and not in public...
Isn't that a bit like saying "yes, homosexuals can be homosexual, but they can't hold hands in public or show their homosexuality in any way". (that was actually used as an argument by our former immigration minister to justify sending homosexual refugees back to Iran)

If you can only be secretly religious then that's oppression.

By the way, I'm an atheist myself. Just pointing out the hypocrisy.
I was considering saying that myself, but I'll be honest, despite bieng both gay and atheist, I feared a mauling for bieng the first one who said it. Glad somebody else thought of it too and had the guts to point it out :D

[Black Sheep]

Also if you're talking about the present society, no it doesnt mean that if you own a car, a good PC, 2 guitars and a piano and nike shoes you can't be a communist.

One's economic situation doesn't have to determine his/her ideology.It often does, and it should.

But many times you see working class people supporting right wing policies, and intellectual bourgeoisie participating in class struggle or supporting the fight economically, for moral reasons.
Ideally the material conditions should determine the ideology.It does not, and the bourgeoisie have done a good job in twisting minds and beliefs.

[Unclebananahead]

It seems as though a common argument used by rightist libertarian types and other proponents of capitalism is that we communists are for communalizing things like a person's toothbrush, or a person's shirt. This is because they fail to draw the distinction between personal property, and private property. Private property, in Marxist parlance, refers to that property which can be used to generate money. This is done either through the production of commodities, or through the extraction of rent. Our general view is that such property is best owned by the people as a whole, held in trust by an elected, and accountable legislative body (i.e. the government). In capitalist society we are taught to believe that the government, or rather, the social service sector of govt., is 'evil' and constitutes an intrusion into our lives. In reality, it has the effect of 'leveling' -- at least to some degree -- what is otherwise a very lopsided state of affairs, with the vast majority of wealth and capital (capital refers to wealth that is capable of producing more wealth) being owned by a very small, elite coterie, that is totally unaccounatable and unelected. So what we communists want, is a public ownership of factories, mills, and farms, not your toothbrush.

[Unclebananahead]

I was considering saying that myself, but I'll be honest, despite bieng both gay and atheist, I feared a mauling for bieng the first one who said it. Glad somebody else thought of it too and had the guts to point it out :D
Unlike gays and homosexuality, religion has been known to incite anti-social and violent behavior. This is an important distinction to make. I personally am all for the freedom of religious expression, with two rules: 1. That religious practice doesn't endanger anyone, 2. That religious practice doesn't impede the orderly functioning of society.

[redwinter]

you can't be religious and a communist. to be a communist requires a dialectical materialist analysis of the world on a scientific basis. proposing that something is real that does not consist of matter directly contradicts that.

this is why communists make it such a big task to fight religion ideologically among the masses. check out Bob Avakian's book, Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World (http://www.awaywithallgods.com)...it's been promoted broadly by communists in the US and internationally over the last year as an important critique of religion itself, including more "progressive" views of religion. if we don't break people away from religion starting now, we wouldn't be fulfilling our responsibilities as communists and revolutionaries to break every chain that holds back the masses (including the mental slavery of religion).

[Weezer]

you can't be religious and a communist. to be a communist requires a dialectical materialist analysis of the world on a scientific basis. proposing that something is real that does not consist of matter directly contradicts that.

this is why communists make it such a big task to fight religion ideologically among the masses. check out Bob Avakian's book, [link here, since I can't post links]...it's been promoted broadly by communists in the US and internationally over the last year as an important critique of religion itself, including more "progressive" views of religion. if we don't break people away from religion starting now, we wouldn't be fulfilling our responsibilities as communists and revolutionaries to break every chain that holds back the masses (including the mental slavery of religion).

There are religious people who believe in evolution, you know.

Since most people are religious, if leftists focus on insulting and destroying their beliefs, people will be more hostile to a Worker's Revolution.

If you want to a revolution, be a missionary of revolution, not anti-theism, hate of religion, irregardless of what it does or what it doesn't do to society, will just keep a revolution farther and farther away. After revolution, then you can focus on liberating people of mental slavery.

[Lynx]

With regard to religion, separation of church and state should be sufficient. Secular governments already follow this policy and it appears to work.

[Bitter Ashes]

Unlike gays and homosexuality, religion has been known to incite anti-social and violent behavior. This is an important distinction to make. I personally am all for the freedom of religious expression, with two rules: 1. That religious practice doesn't endanger anyone, 2. That religious practice doesn't impede the orderly functioning of society.
I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot for saying this, but.... Stonewall?
Lots of love
A Stonewall supporter (:laugh:)

[Unclebananahead]

you can't be religious and a communist. to be a communist requires a dialectical materialist analysis of the world on a scientific basis. proposing that something is real that does not consist of matter directly contradicts that...this is why communists make it such a big task to fight religion ideologically among the masses

I agree with you up to a point. Religion is something to be fought and discouraged...within a communist party, which does indeed require, "a dialectical materialist analysis of the world on a scientific basis" if it hopes to have any real chance of success. But as far as the masses are concerned, it's best to permit religious practice so long as it follows the two rules I mentioned above. Those rules are as follows: 1. That religious practice does not endanger anyone, and 2. That religious practice doesn't impede in the orderly functioning of society in any meaningful way. This doesn't mean that the masses cannot be provided with scientific information about the world they inhabit, just that it's best not to be hasty about 'stamping out religion.' The first generation or so of people living under a revolutionary socialist government will tend towards retaining religious and other superstitious beliefs. Trying to prohibit this in a foolish attempt to make progress towards a 'de-obscurantized society' would be entirely counter-productive. Religious groups would 'go underground' and would garner sympathy from foreign groups belonging to the same religion, as well as providing material suitable for the creation of propaganda by reactionary ideologues.