Letters From Grandpa #83

• LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
• 83

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter involves the old maxim - “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it”.

Here is a brief video that illustrates the point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPob5-_EAmc

As you know, Karl Marx died March 14, 1883. He is famous for writing “The Communist Manifesto”. It was published in London February 21, 1848 and has brought death to millions.

Here are some key tenets to the Marxist philosophy:

1) The abolition of the private ownership of property.

2) Redistribution of wealth via a graduated income tax.

3) Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4) The confiscation of all property of immigrants and rebels.

5) The centralization of all credit into the hands of the state.

Etc.

EVERYWHERE THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO HAS BEEN TRIED IT HAS RESULTED IN MASS MURDER! Stephane Courtois, Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, offers the following rough breakdown of the numbers of people killed by those who believed in Marxism.

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USSR -- 20 million

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China -- 65 million

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Vietnam -- 1 million

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North Korea -- 2 million #

Cambodia -- 2 million

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Eastern Europe -- 1 million #

Latin America -- 150,000 #

Africa -- 1.7 million

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Afghanistan -- 1.5 million #

Communist movements of parties not in power -- 10,000

The fact that anyone would sign a petition wanting Karl Marx to be in any position of power reflects a frightening ignorance of history.

Nikolani Lenin (1870-1924) was an avid follower of Marx. Lenin created the Bolshevik party, and founded of the Soviet state. He graduated from St. Petersburg University with a law

degree in 1891. In 1893 he began underground revolutionary activities and ultimately led the overthrow of the provisional government of Aleksandr Kerenski in November of 1917. Lenin is thus given credit for the creation of the first successful party of professional revolutionaries, and paved the way for an International conspiracy which not only dominated the Soviet Union but also other unfortunate countries throughout the world. Lenin was opposed to freedom of speech and wrote:

“Why should freedom of speech and freedom of the press be allowed? Why should a government which is doing what it believes to be right allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns. Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinion calculated to embarrass the government.”

Thus Communism can only survive with the help of ignorance. There is no freedom of the press in a Communist country. Every Communist county must have its firing squad, its political prisons, and the ability to black out news and truths from other parts of the world. Truth is fatal to the Communist cause.

What a contrast communism is to Christianity. The followers of Christ are not imprisoned by barbed wire and machine guns. There is no “news blackout” within the framework of the Christian movement. Quite to the contrary, Christians are admonished to “prove all things” (I Thess. 5:21). A famous Bible scholar named Albert Barnes explains what this means in his commentary on I Thessalonians: “Other religions require their votaries to receive everything upon trust; Christianity asks us to examine everything. Error, superstition, bigotry, and fanaticism attempt to repress free discussion, by saying that there are certain things which are too sacred in their nature, or which have been too long held, or which are sanctioned by too many great and holy names, to permit their being subjected to the scrutiny of common eyes, or to be handled by common hands, In opposition to all this, Christianity requires us to examine everything - no matter by whom held; by what councils ordained; by what venerableness of antiquity sustained; or by what sacredness it may be invested. We are to receive no opinion until we are convinced that it is true; we are to be subjected to no pains or penalties for not believing what we do not perceive to be true; we are to be prohibited from examining no opinion which our fellow-men regard as true, and which they seek to make others believe. No popular current in favor of any doctrine; no influence which name and rank and learning can give it, is to commend it to us as certainly worthy of our belief. By whomsoever held, we are to examine it freely before we embrace it; but when we are convinced that it is true, it is to be held, no matter what current of popular opinion or prejudice may be against it; no matter what ridicule may be poured upon it; and no matter though the belief of it may require us to die a martyr’s death (Barnes Commentary Thess. - Phil. p. 61).

“Prove all things” and never be afraid of truth!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce