Marxism has a history of being hostile to Christians, and the Christian faith in general. We should not be surprised for Karl Marx showed a hostility toward all communities of faith, calling religion an “illusion” and “the opium of the people.”
In his Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, Marx arrogantly declared, “The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.” In other words, for Marx, abolishing faith in God is a necessary component of securing “real” happiness for people.
Christianity a Threat to the Marxist Vision
Marxism and atheism are compatible, bosom buddies. Christians and their faith in God, on the other hand, are perceived as threats to the Marxist vision. It is, therefore, not surprising that the old Soviet Union, Castro’s Cuba, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, Mao’s China and other modern Marxist states have all persecuted people of faith.
In Marxism/socialism the state is deified. The God of the Bible is replaced by the god of the state. People no longer need to look to God for help with life’s problems; they can now look to the government to solve every problem and meet every need.
In Marxism/socialism, the God of the Bible is viewed as a competitor—an enemy of the state. This is why, during the 20th century, millions of Christians were imprisoned and put to death in Marxist/socialist regimes. The god of Marxism is a jealous god who will tolerate no rivals.
Disturbing Trends in the Democrat Party
It should, therefore, not be surprising that as the Democratic Party has drifted more and more toward a socialist vision for America, they have also shown more and more hostility toward people of faith. For example, in 2019, the Democrat National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and insisting that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality and patriotism.
In this same resolution, the DNC made a point to single out and rebuke evangelical Christians for, in their words, “Loudly claiming that morals, values and patriotism must be defined by their particular religious views.”
When the Democrat Party took control of the House of Representatives in 2018, they chose to remove the phrase “so help me God” from the oaths that witnesses would take before their committees.
Indeed, the DNC’s hostility toward God and people of faith is showing itself in many ways. Democrat senators grilled Notre Dame law professor Amy Barrett, who had been nominated to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. They questioned her fitness to serve on the court because of her strong faith in God. Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein went so far as to complain that when she reads Barrett’s speeches, “The conclusion one draws is that the [Christian] dogma lives loudly in you.”
The Democratic Party has supported the removal of Ten Commandment displays, crosses and other Christian symbols from public property. Shortly after becoming president, Barack Obama told a foreign audience, “America is not a Christian nation.” And when he spoke at Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, he demanded that the Christian symbol behind the podium where he was to speak be removed.
America’s Founders Were People of Faith
The DNC flight from God is so out of character with the founders of this nation, whose writings are filled with references to faith in God and sprinkled with biblical quotations. In fact, a 10-year research project to discover where America’s founders got their ideas for the nation’s founding documents, found that they quoted the Bible far more than any other source (Hyatt, 1726: The Year That Refined America, 167-68).
George Washington, after insisting that he take the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible, then warned the new nation in his first inaugural address,
“The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.”
John Adams sounded a similar tone in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts militia. He declared:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion … Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year That Refined America, 168).
The well-known Catholic scholar, William Novak, is thus correct in saying,
“Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year That Refined America, 171).
We Must Have a Christian Awakening
Psalm 33:12a says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” The Democratic Party’s move toward Marxism/socialism and its rejection of the God of the Bible should deeply concern every American, for they are following in the path of so many failed, totalitarian movements of history.
The greatest threat to their vision for America is a Christian awakening wherein the masses renew their faith in God. When that happens, people are set free from dependence on government. Their faith is now in God, and they want government to merely protect them in their quest for those God-given, Constitutional rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Let us, therefore, ask God to visit this nation once again with another Great Awakening. God has sent such awakenings again and again in our history at times of great national crisis. I am convinced that He is ready to do it again.
If you want to know what such an awakening might look like, get a copy of my book, 1726: The Year That Refined America. {eoa}
This article is excerpted from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s latest books, 1726 and 5 Reasons I Changed My Mind About Donald Trump. These and other books by Dr. Hyatt are available from Amazon and his website at eddiehyatt.com.
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