Hope vs the Pandemic
By Tom Bartlett
In the chaos surrounding the current pandemic, governments and individuals around the world are overtly extolling the virtues of socialism. I confess to being unable to understand the argument for socialism’s claimed superiority, especially as it seems to me that our worsening circumstances are already an indictment of collectivist political and social theories. To be clear, I am not claiming the Corona virus does not pose a serious threat. This blog is not about calling Chicken Little off the ledge but an effort to provide a much-needed Christian perspective to what is taking place.
When western governments first took serious measures to restrain the growth of the virus I was astounded to hear advocates of socialism openly casting many of these moves as government control over the means of production. Usually they are not so bold. Ordinarily, left-wing politicians and bureaucrats treat us to bromides about taxing wealth to underwrite endless social programs. But this time around the argument has been that we need government to manage our economy by promoting the production of “necessary” goods while restricting sales of “unnecessary” goods for the health and wellbeing of all. Here’s my question. How does anyone assume that government has the wisdom to distinguish between “necessary” and “unnecessary” production or grant it authority to impose its draconian will upon the people.
Saddest of all has been the way non-believers and social justice-minded Christians have together confused Scripture to suggest that Christianity and socialism are compatible. In fact, they are natural enemies. Because it is vital to understand the competing visions contained in these divergent worldviews I will first examine socialism’s destructive impact wherever it is introduced.
“When people are fully dependent on government to apportion goods, two things become inevitable: (1) widespread shortages (of everything), and (2) every person becomes dedicated to one supreme task, hoarding as much for themselves as possible”
Socialism denies human nature and misinterprets greed as compassion. While the rush on toilet paper may be baffling, grocery stores have been emptied of many staples. This is hardly a case of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Instead, frenzied buying has brought us to juvenile “sharing is caring” signs in an attempt to restrict consumers from hoovering up coveted items. If the current minor crisis can bring about such hoarding, imagine what will happen when socialism is fully implemented, and the profit motive is eliminated. Believe me, when people are fully dependent on government to apportion goods, two things become inevitable: (1) widespread shortages (of everything), and (2) every person becomes dedicated to one supreme task, hoarding as much for themselves as possible.
China’s closed socialist system brought about the Corona virus and made it into a pandemic. Communist/socialist governments necessarily control the flow of information in order to hide the devastating consequences of their abuses and failures. All governments are committed to self-preservation, but Communist governments have the motive and the power to bury their scandals. Because the survival of the government is its supreme value citizens are viewed as individually disposable. When making the socialist omelet, maintaining the ideology of the collective is always more important than helping the individual survive.
Socialist programs create massive debts that always get worse in a crisis. This happens because under socialism the government either owns, or at least controls both labour and the means of production. Therefore, in times of shortages a socialist government’s attempts to increase the production of goods or food is the equivalent of a man trying to lift himself by his bootstraps. It simply cannot be done. The Bible, on the other hand, limits the role of government to maintaining personal and religious liberties and ensuring that citizens are protected from those who would do them harm—enemies both foreign and domestic. This approach reduces taxation to unimaginably low levels and frees up the citizenry to save and invest for themselves. Thus, in times of crisis individuals and charities, motivated by love for God and their fellow man, rise to meet real needs much more efficiently. Gone is the cronyism and corruption that characterize every large-scale government effort.
Western socialist initiatives have made us unsafe and vulnerable. Consider how government approved speech (politically correct speech), a concept straight out of the Marxist handbook, has prevented much of the western world from learning what it needs to know about the effect and control of Covid-19. We’ve been told, for instance, that identifying the virus’s place of origin, or restricting travel from virus “hot” zones, is racist. Moreover, denying reality in ways that increase Canadians’ exposure is promoted as a virtue because, again, the worldview matters more than individuals. Covid-19 could best be labelled the Communist Chinese Pandemic as the Chinese citizens are the primary victims. But criticizing the role of the Chi-com leaders is not what is being advocated. We are not allowed to question how Covid-19 deaths are tabulated nor raise doubts concerning the risible and ever-changing explanations given for how the virus spread.
Now let me approach these problems from a different angle. My father-in-law has been in a long-term senior’s health care facility and has been dealing with declining health for a long time. He is a godly man, frustrated by increasing deafness and blindness. There is no question that God and family (in that order) matter most to him. He has long prayed that God would heal his sensory limitations, but to no avail. Nevertheless, he has turned his limitations over to God and has sought to continue using his waning abilities to connect with family and friends. Now, thanks to the Corona virus lock down, his forced isolation has deprived him of even the limited outreach ministry he loves so much. Keep this template in mind as you read on.
The rest of us are suddenly almost as isolated as my father-in-law. Ordinarily Christianity provides a community that helps people persevere in adversity along with their brothers and sisters in Christ. In even the recent past (i.e. after 9/11) people tended to turn to God and church when faced with a crisis. In addition, for 2,000 years Christians and Christian organizations have gained a reputation for being the first responders to mobilize in emergencies. Now, we’re no longer allowed to help. Being forced indoors and made to close our churches is especially hard as the hope churches have traditionally provided is to my mind nothing less than an essential service. With Easter in particular, we should be gathering to remember the true source of love and mercy as we proclaim the truth that Christ is risen indeed.
This pandemic is unique. Governments have shut down the churches “for our own good,” measures long justified by socialist governments. So far the general shut down has not been paired with persecution and censorship—much. But we should always be leery whenever the secular state restricts the activities of the church, no matter how good the proffered reasons may seem.
“We should always be leery whenever the secular state restricts the activities of the church, no matter how good the proffered reasons may seem”
Here’s the biggest difference between socialism and Christianity. Christians voluntarily submit their lives, actions and choices to God. Socialism, on the other hand, demands fealty to the state in a way that removes individual autonomy and forces people to relinquish their personal agency. Christianity frees individuals to be all they can be, while socialist government restrictions always result in a society dedicated to pain-avoidance and a childish wait for the hand of government to provide for their needs.
Brothers and sisters, I charge you by the risen Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, never forget your duty to determine to be godly influencers in Canadian society without regard to the constraints placed upon us by government. To the fullest extent possible we need to be self-sufficient (relying on God) and focussed on extending our time and resources to minister to our neighbours. God is worthy of our trust. He is never diminished, no matter how many restrictions the state seeks to place upon us.
Our faith gives us hope in the eternal. It recognises that death is not the end. I was struck by the abject absurdity of the latest rendition of the atheist anthem “Imagine”—celebrities singing gleefully from their gilded bunkers about the prospect of no possessions to a public under financial stress—all with no apparent sense of the irony involved. To a world filled with people facing the reality of mortal illness, Wonder Woman and the Hulk want people to imagine no heaven or hell. This only makes sense for those who suspect they are hell bound. Christians need not be fearful in this time as we are merely on the threshold of our true home where no virus (or human system) can interfere with unbounded joy.
Christianity not only infuses us with hope but relieves much of the burden of living with regrets by demanding that we acknowledge our sinfulness, receive and extend forgiveness, and be proactive in building up treasures in heaven. I am sure my father-in-law has a treasure chest in reserve waiting for him. The prospect of facing what could be a life-ending illness apart from family and friends will be difficult for him, but the promise of eternity makes this but a minor inconvenience. On the other hand, confronting an eternity in isolation without hope, meaning, or peace, without even the comfort of a godless bureaucracy at your bedside is simply unbearable.