" Socialism " has been given a dirty name by the natural enemies of " socialism " and by the totalitarian Left that supported Stalin's Russia for so many years.
The sectarian Left " socialists " now and then participate in bourgeois democratic elections and routinely make a dismal showing and are invariably less than charming to the poor oppressed working class and to the most winnable, " hard working " American middle class that is indeed being ruined by the capitalist system that does work but only for the plutocracy.
In truth, various " socialist " parties stagnate or decline because they fail to touch the hearts and minds of " ordinary people ". They are obtuse to the fact that ordinary people of the world are not militant atheists, have spiritual roots in the great religions, and do believe in a personal God or Spinoza's God as did Albert Einstein .
The biggest mistake of " communist " Russia was not trying to correct the evils of capitalism (by methods other than mass murder ) but advertising itself to the world - a mostly RELIGIOUS world- as OFFICIALLY atheist. Russian " communism " being perceived as a dreary godless totalitarian nightmare . Naturally they could not import this nightmare to the " capitalist " but religious - and checked by religion- United States.
As far as I can tell ALL " socialist " parties today -shaped by orthodox Marxism - have a hostile attitude to religious faith, and are especially hostile to the Catholic Church , to evangelical Protestant churches, to the Muslim faith , even hostile to ORTHODOX Judaism.
Also, these rather numerous " socialist " sects are clueless about internal democracy and are usually dominated by a megalomaniac GREAT LEADER personality who runs a top down CULT . The " socialist " sects that I have followed - with critical support - sadly remind me of the Church of Scientology - where the members and writers bear a frightful resemblance to the weirdo " Clears " in the Church of Scientology.
There is presently no alternative to the " democratic " socialists in the Democratic Party -like Bernie Sanders - who are not totalitarians but are very compromised by their very membership in the Democratic Party ( which they always pretend they can REFORM or even radicalize ).
No political party has a patent on SOCIALISM which for me has the status of a GREAT IDEA- which cannot be realized by political tricks or by bloody mob violence. The world does NOT need another Stalin or Mao anymore than another Hitler. But it will not suffer ETERNAL CAPITALISM either.
A practical SOCIALISM is beyond crude " politics " or bloody " class war ". It can only be realized by a SPIRITUAL movement - guided by the great spiritual epiphanies of THE SAINTS. A practical constitution for Augustine's " City of God " or Plato's " Republic ".
The sectarian Left " socialists " now and then participate in bourgeois democratic elections and routinely make a dismal showing and are invariably less than charming to the poor oppressed working class and to the most winnable, " hard working " American middle class that is indeed being ruined by the capitalist system that does work but only for the plutocracy.
In truth, various " socialist " parties stagnate or decline because they fail to touch the hearts and minds of " ordinary people ". They are obtuse to the fact that ordinary people of the world are not militant atheists, have spiritual roots in the great religions, and do believe in a personal God or Spinoza's God as did Albert Einstein .
The biggest mistake of " communist " Russia was not trying to correct the evils of capitalism (by methods other than mass murder ) but advertising itself to the world - a mostly RELIGIOUS world- as OFFICIALLY atheist. Russian " communism " being perceived as a dreary godless totalitarian nightmare . Naturally they could not import this nightmare to the " capitalist " but religious - and checked by religion- United States.
As far as I can tell ALL " socialist " parties today -shaped by orthodox Marxism - have a hostile attitude to religious faith, and are especially hostile to the Catholic Church , to evangelical Protestant churches, to the Muslim faith , even hostile to ORTHODOX Judaism.
Also, these rather numerous " socialist " sects are clueless about internal democracy and are usually dominated by a megalomaniac GREAT LEADER personality who runs a top down CULT . The " socialist " sects that I have followed - with critical support - sadly remind me of the Church of Scientology - where the members and writers bear a frightful resemblance to the weirdo " Clears " in the Church of Scientology.
There is presently no alternative to the " democratic " socialists in the Democratic Party -like Bernie Sanders - who are not totalitarians but are very compromised by their very membership in the Democratic Party ( which they always pretend they can REFORM or even radicalize ).
No political party has a patent on SOCIALISM which for me has the status of a GREAT IDEA- which cannot be realized by political tricks or by bloody mob violence. The world does NOT need another Stalin or Mao anymore than another Hitler. But it will not suffer ETERNAL CAPITALISM either.
A practical SOCIALISM is beyond crude " politics " or bloody " class war ". It can only be realized by a SPIRITUAL movement - guided by the great spiritual epiphanies of THE SAINTS. A practical constitution for Augustine's " City of God " or Plato's " Republic ".
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