The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-02-11

lSIu,. DuI Cn0y niue D6uluu the excuse
that the pronouncement is not sex
cathedral And there are yet others
impudently calling themselves Catho-
lic-Socialists as means of propa-
ganda. They know that the Socialist
movement is not in the proper sense
of the term a political party, but that
it is, as it says of itself. the Social
Revolution, that it would sweep all
governments off the face of the earth.
1t is the basic principles and the
specific propaganda of Socialism that
Pope Leo XIII shows to be in positive
conflict against the Christian religion.
This is done SO thoroughly that no
candid minded man upon reading these
great encyclicals on social questions
could fail to see that the Pontiff has
gone to the root of the matter
But this shibboleth which Social
! lists use to break into Catholic ranks
can be turned back upon the enemy,
for it brings us face to face with the
question-Can man take his religion
from Rome and his politics from So
cialism? Let us see:
] Religion from Rome demands that a
man shall believe in God the Father
Almighty, Creator of Heaven and
Earth Catholics must believe that
God revealed His will through Adam;
Abraham; through Moses and the
prophets; that God promised to send
MS Anointed One to redeem the world
That in fulfilment of His promise the
word became flesh in the person of
cur Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
Catholics must believe that when
Christ said to Peter, Thou art the
rock upon which I build my Church" !"
He established the Church for all time.
Catholics must believe that the dog
mas of Christianity are eternal-the
same today as they were in the past,
that they will be the same for all
time-that our Lord has said the gates
of hell shall not prevail against the
Roman Catholic Church Can man
then take his principles from Rome
and believe at the same time in So
cialist principles?
Rome affirms the belief in God; So
cialism denies the existence of God.
It SCOTS at the belief in eternal
truths: Nothing is eternal. everything
changes-ideas, morals, religions, in
Istitutions, Worlds-everything changes
with time,' say it's doctrinaires. To be
Ia Socialist one must believe in econ
omic determinism, and this principle
rules free-will absolutely out of the
conduct of men, Socialism makes a
man wholly subject to blind force. Can
a man believe in the theology of Rome
and in the principles of economic de-
4 terminism? Certainly not. They are
as far apart as truth and falsehood.
Karl Marx, the father of the inter.
national movement, no less plainly
insists that atheism is the necessary
foundation of scientific Socialism than
does Pope Leo show the Christian re-
1 ligion to be positively in conflict with
the basic principles of the Socialist
propaganda. So whether we view the
issue from the standpoint of the
Catholic Church or from that of the
Socialist camp we come to the same
conclusion, namely, that the man who
takes his theology from Rome and his
politics from Socialism" is in a pitiful
plight. He is ridiculous because he
does not think; or he is vicious if he
does think. No man can serve two
masters-Christ and the anti-Christ
Socialists think far enough to know
that their doctrine of economic de-
terminism is deadly to faith in God
With them it is merely question OF
tactics, bait to catch gudgeons with
For faith without works is dead, and
Socialist work rests upon the Socialist
belief that the thoughts, words and
deeds of men, their religion, their
morals and their arts are determined
by the mode of producing the neces
saries of life. To state the Socialist
meaning plainly. 1t is their belief that
so long as some men have control OF
capital and others work for wages the
morals and institutions of the Chris
tian religion can but live lingering
death. They believe that the co-opera.
tive commonwealth is sure to come
because Marx in the foremost Social
ist book, Capital" has proved it to be
!, the next step which evolution is tax
ing. When it comes it will put an
end to the belief in the Christian re
ligion. The morality which teaches a
, respect for private property will nc
longer be of any use. For the simple
!, reason, they say, that there will nc
, longer be either capitalists or wage
earners. And it is the relation oi
! master and man that has kept up the
: belief in God. The belief in Goo
|, Marx calls the mystical veil," and
this mystical veil" shall be stripped
from mems eyes when Socialists come
: into political power for then private
! capital shall be made social capital
! When man understands the belle
! of the so-called Scientific Socialist
: the tactics of the Socialist party art
! not so hard to understand. For once
a man really knows what the Socialis
creed is and accepts that creed, he ha!
no further use for religion. Religion
is mere capitalist club to keep work
men quiet about the robbery of tn,
Il s~4 IL G