Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-12-26
CHRISTIANITY AND COMMUNISM

Editor Askov American:
True Christianity and Communism
do not contradict each other as j. M.
Nielsen is so anxious to make readers
of the Askov American believe. Chris
tianity is love and mercy, not fear
and dread of punishment. To me 1t
looks as if some of those protesting
Christianity are straying far away
from it when they picture all the pun
ishment that is in store for anybody
who does not see Christianity in their
own particular light, or belong to
their particular faith or branch of the
Christian church.
God being merciful, kind and just.
could not bear to see souls tortured
in the Lake of Fire for thousand
years,-and neither could l. At least
the anticipation of ringside seat at
such a spectacle fills me with pain.
| do not want to see it. l do not
like to see others suffer, and If you
think you would enjoy such a show.
if you believe in that kind of heav-
en-, you can have my part OF 1t too.
Unfortunately the Bible is not suf-
ficiently clear, since arguments arise
by the thousands about the meaning
of this or that passage, therefore the
many different branches of the Chris
tian church. If the Atlantic ocean
was one big inkwell, 1t would not
write all the arguments that could be
used pro and con. and certainly the
Askov American could not be ex-
pected to print it; therefore l will
not use passages of the Bible. al
though l am as familiar with them
as the average person.
He'll means destruction, and we
have plenty of hell on this earth in
spite of two thousand years of Chris
tianity. 1t is my belief that to les
sen or relieve the suffering Of man.
kind here on earth is pleasing to my
Creator; therefore my belief in Com
munism, which teaches me to relieve
as much suffering as is humanity pos
sible for us mortals to do. COmmun-
ism does not use religion as an Opiate
for the masses. to make them forget
their daily wants and needs. to
act as stimulant under their painful
journey here, with a great reward in
heaven in compensation for their
earthly suffering. After all. what
measure is used. or can be used if
our deeds here do not count?
If we could only do more good deeds
here on earth we would then be NOV
ing toward Communism, which Is
Christianity itself as see it; not the
atrociOus monster as you like to pic
ture it in your article.
Anarchism-Commu = Social
m-Fascism-what do you know
about them? Evidently not much.
There Is a distinctive difference be-
tween the first three. and the last one
is the opposite of the other three.
To learn more about them you have
to read what they themselves say
about their doctrines, and then use
your own intelligence as a guide as
to their merits and flaws. Do you
think l would be content under a sys-
/ tenn of oppression, cruelty and human
chattel slavery? l tell you l would
fight it just as bitterly as l now fight
Capitalism; and so would TIE major
ity of the people. 1t would not be
able to withstand the attacks OF the
majority and neither will Capitalism
in a reasonably short time. In con-
clusion | will ask you the name OF
the criminal at the head Of Commun-
ism and Fascism? l am very inter
ested in his identity as l have heard
of leaders of Communism being Marx
Engels, Lenin and others; but never
Hitler or Mussolini!
LARS p. JENSEN.