The US, religion, and socialism

[Firebird]

Interesting article that I believe helps clarify differences between us and Europe:
Americans May Be Too Religious To Embrace Socialism

538 is run by Nate Silver, a very well - regarded pollster who correctly predicted every state's results in the last presidential election.

[Icarus]

We Americans are not paying attention. We are already a socialist nation and have been for a long time. during the great depression of the 30s we had the CCC and other government sponsored aids to our survival. We have endless government functions that are socialist in nature...Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, The interstate highway system, EPA, USDA, National parks, FDA, HUD, NIH, and a zillion more state and national assets for the citizens.

The problem appears to be that the general population equates socialism to communism. Thank you Joe Mc Carthy,  and thank you to all the high school students who flunked their civics classes. And of course, thank you to the religious Right who are still embracing the early attitudes and practices of the people who did barn raisings as a service and obligation to their neighbors.  Well it does not work that way anymore. In the Barn raising days there were few of us. In the wagon trains to Oregon and the farmers of the Midwest, we had to rely on others for survival. The feeling was mutual. We don't do wagon trains anymore. There is Delta airlines to get us to Portland and the Columbia river where the Lewis and Clark people, long ago managed to survive. Thank you Sacagawa dear lady.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

We Americans are not paying attention. We are already a socialist nation and have been for a long time. during the great depression of the 30s we had the CCC and other government sponsored aids to our survival. We have endless government functions that are socialist in nature...Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, The interstate highway system, EPA, USDA, National parks, FDA, HUD, NIH, and a zillion more state and national assets for the citizens.

The problem appears to be that the general population equates socialism to communism. Thank you Joe Mc Carthy,  and thank you to all the high school students who flunked their civics classes. And of course, thank you to the religious Right who are still embracing the early attitudes and practices of the people who did barn raisings as a service and obligation to their neighbors.  Well it does not work that way anymore. In the Barn raising days there were few of us. In the wagon trains to Oregon and the farmers of the Midwest, we had to rely on others for survival. The feeling was mutual. We don't do wagon trains anymore. There is Delta airlines to get us to Portland and the Columbia river where the Lewis and Clark people, long ago managed to survive. Thank you Sacagawa dear lady.

If you read the second chapter of Acts, you will see that the early Christian church was socialist.  Especially look at Acts 2:44-45.  Capitalist, nationalistic Christianity is a complete opposite of the Biblical presentation of the church.

[Firebird]

Looked up the passage Ecurb mentioned:

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Very interesting.

[Nam]

We Americans are not paying attention. We are already a socialist nation and have been for a long time. during the great depression of the 30s we had the CCC and other government sponsored aids to our survival. We have endless government functions that are socialist in nature...Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, The interstate highway system, EPA, USDA, National parks, FDA, HUD, NIH, and a zillion more state and national assets for the citizens.

You forgot our biggest socialist program: The US Military. Yet Conservatives (religious, or otherwise)  either don't understand it's a socialist program or just deny it outright.

The problem appears to be that the general population equates socialism to communism.

Yes, they do. While the two have similarities to each other one (Communism) is about total government dictatorial control and the other (Socialism) is not. If one thinks about what the Founding Father's wanted, it was something along the lines of socialism rather than the capitalist state we currently are in.

-Nam