THE "HIGHER" MOTIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE "HIGHER" MOTIVES.

WHAT COMMUNISM LACKS. The "Spectator" (Melbourne) some time ago published an article on Communism. Here are some pertinent passages from it:— The real danger of Communism lies in the fact that it faithfully translates into life the spirit of its first great pro- • tagonist, Karl Marx. No tree is effectively destroyed by cuttirig off a fe\v upper branches; the root is the proper place to attack. To answer Communism effectively, the Christian will have to dig beneath the surface and find its root. That root is the spirit which actuates it. The more thoroughly he does this, the more grounds he finds for reassurance. The doctrines of Karl Marx form the basis of Communist theory and practice. From the Christian's point of view they are inadequate; they fail to satisfy the demands of life. To* be true to these principles we must be untrue to self. In one respect at least Marxian thought is a typical product of the Marxian generation. Its materialistic interpretation of history was then popular in many circles. Its dictum is that all the great movements in the world's history have been due to the functioning of irresistible economic processes. The history of man is satisfactorily explained in terms of the tools he uses and the materials he handles.

This is a falsification of history. To believe it is as great a foLLy as to believe the colour-blind man when lie denies the existence of the rainbow.

Love of home, country, truth, justice and a hundred other intangible factors have shaped the ways of men. They can never be deprived of their essential virility. "We live," we are bidden to remember, "not by the flesh, but by the Spirit." The great Apostle Paul, Martin Luther, John Wesley and the rest of that immortal gallery of the heroes of righteousness will not be denied. That of Christian enthusiasts, who, in the 1 name of Christ, were conceived to be turning the first eentury world upside down, give the lie direct to the materialist's standpoint. Equally unsatisfactory is Communism's low view of human destiny. It speaks of the violent overthrow of the capitalistic classes by the rising power of the proletariat, to result in the establishment of a classless society. We are entitled to ask whether this is all it has to offer. Suppose this classless society to be brought to reality, what then ? If human greed and callousness remain unmodified, one may well be sceptical as to both its performance arid value. Surely the whole, destiny of mankind is not thus achieved. On this point Communism is dumb—dumb because it lacks a spiritual sense. It is the vital belief of the Christian that God plans a higher dignity for man. Interpretations of the significance of the Kingdom of God vary, but all look for something better than a bread and butter state. We are bidden to "labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life."