Response to a Critic of 'Capitalism's False Ethic of Giving' (5)

The comments of the critics are in green, enclosed by the square brackets. My response is in purple, interspersed in between the paragraphs enclosed by square brackets.

[The abolition of private property is actually a communist belief. "The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property." - Karl Marx.]

The issue here is not communism versus capitalism as this person makes it out to be. It is about pleasing God, not communism versus capitalism.

In addition to this, merely because it is an unsaved person who makes a statement about morality or ethics does not mean it is wrong. God indeed does use ungodly people to do His work in ways that no one can understand, just as He used Julius Caesar, a secular ruler, who was against usury, to rule over the Roman Empire. Just because a statement about morality was made by a secular person does not mean it is wrong or even anti-Biblical!
[The eight commandment, a prohibition of theft, assumes the possibility of theft, which assumes there is an owner to steal from. That is private property. People own stuff. ]

Indeed, the 8^th commandment does deem theft to be a sin. The purpose of the Law of God was to show our unholy was the hearts of people. It was to reveal sin (Galatians 3:19) which is from the desperately wicked heart that is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). The Law of God was not given to establish “rights” of human beings, but rather to show how all us are filthy, rotten, unholy, perverse, sinful, evil and wicked we all are. It was given to show that no one can keep it. It is not to provide “right” for us humans in anyway. Therefore, the 8^th commandment does not in any way establish private property.

[Capitalism is the belief that people should own the means of production and what they produce.]

For humans to says they own what they have is to exclude God as the Provider of all things.

[The farmer owns his equipment and the food he grows. The butcher owns his tools and the meat he is to sell. The author owns his computer and the books he writes.Etc. ]

In the earthly sense, the farmer owns his equipment and food, the butcher owns his tools, and the author owns his computer and books. However, all things come from God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).

[When one does challenge the very concept of money, one is mocked as a lunatic. And rightly so. Genesis 42:25, Exodus 21:34, Matthew 25:27. ]

This is a very self-righteous comment made by an ignorant professing Christian who takes three Bible verses out of context. He attempts to imply that because money was used in the Bible, the Bible justifies it. This is just like saying, because murder occurred in the Bible, the Bible justifies it.

He is interpreting three Bible verses using humanistic individualist thinking, and reading them into the Bible.

Genesis 42:25 says: Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.

Exodus 21:34 says: The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.

Matthew 25:27 says: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

[I need to have things to give - I need to be a capitalist - in order to be able to give to the poor.]

One needs to be rich to give to the poor? Is giving not from the heart, not from the hands? Did not Jesus commend the poor widow who gave all she had to the Temple, and rebuke the rich for giving out of their wealth? (Luke 21:1-4) This person has the same attitude as the rich people in Luke 21:1-4 who gave out their wealth. Further, capitalism has nothing to do with giving.

[I am really a bit concerned about the increasing negativity to capitalism.]

Capitalism is really anti-Christian. So if you are a true Christian, you should hate capitalism for what spirit it is of - the spirit of mammon.

[ Our great leaders, like Menzies and Churchill called themselves Capitalists, because we believe in freedom.]

They are great leaders in the earthly sense. Are these leaders men of righteousness?

[ Which side of the World Wars and the Cold War were we on again?]

War is ungodly and that a war occurs does not change the morality of capitalism. Therefore, which side you are on is irrelevant.