Please remember that you are choosing to read my opinions.

So I went to school... and then....

That was for Jakerad. Now for something completely different.

I'm going to talk about politics today in a different way. I'm also going to talk about religion and socialism, Karl Marx and his ideas of communism and what they all have in common. Then, I'll go on a completely unrelated tangent at least once, possibly twice, and attempt to tie it all together with a single sentence showing my utter disbelief in humanity.

The first day of  class this year a teacher said something that struck a chord in me. It made disconnected thoughts stick together like a jigsaw puzzle. A lot of people know this, and many have come to this realization on their own, but I never thought of it this way.

What is the connection between Christianity and Marx's Communism?

My professor said to us,. "why is it that Karl Marx had such an unoriginal idea? Here Judao-Christian religions had been talking about taking are of each other forever." He didn't really go into the details, and I dropped the class, but it got me thinking. I didn't understand how communism, the red threat, could possibly be anything like religion. Then I understood.

In communism, God is society. You "worship" society, you live your life for society, and we are all societies children. Instead of doing good in the name of yourself, or God, you do it in the name of community. It all fits rather well. Instead of the threats of hellfire and brimstone, you have the guilt of failure, failng your society is failing yourself and your neighbors. Instead of going to church, you go to work.

Communism could have replaced Christianity, and some say that was the idea. Regardless, the flaw in that plan is that christianity could in turn replace communism. Instead, neither took place here in America. Christianity is being defeated by capitalism, and no one is the wiser. It continues to exist, true, but its fundamental teaching is no longer to love your neighbor, but to pay uncle sam. It's in the bible, true. It says our leaders are devined by god. Hitler? Well... only the good ones.

But what do you all think about the connection between communism and socialism, and christianity?

Moving on, I have a question for someone out there who is into religion. Is the New Testement truely cannonical? How did Paul (the man formerly known as Saul) effect the course of Christianity?

I read some stuff about Judsismm and I found the person's perspective on Paul's influence very interesting, and historically it would make sense. If anyone has some comments on this it would be much appreciated.

One last note: I won't be here tomorrow much, so I might actually have to abandon my post every day experiment. I had a death in the family and I'm going to Ohio tomorrow.