Willard Skousen - The Naked Communist

This explains why we have such statements as this from Joseph Stalin:

“Have we suppressed the reactionary clergy? Yes, we have. The unfortunate thing is that it has not been completely liquidated. Anti-religious propaganda is a means by which the complete liquidation of the reactionary clergy must be brought about. Cases occur when certain members of the party hamper the complete development of anti-religious propaganda. If such members are expelled it is a good thing because there is no room for such Communists in the ranks of the party.” {257} 257 Joseph Stalin, Leninism, Vol. 1, p. 387.

The seventh commandment says, “Thou shall not commit adultery.” Fundamentally the strength of the American home is rooted in an exchange of confidence between a mother and father, between parents and children. God might well say to us. “I give you nothing except that which is for your ultimate happiness. My commandments are not to take away happiness but to preserve it. I want you to be able to be honest with each other in your marriage covenants. If you want a happy family, if you want to share complete confidence with your mate, then thou shalt not commit adultery.”

And moral integrity does not begin with marriage. It finds its strength in careful self-discipline over the years. When two young people come to the marriage altar, I do not personally know of any greater insurance for a life of happiness and trust than for each of them to be able to say in their hearts as they kneel together, “Even before I knew you I honored you and kept myself circumspect for you.” As a law enforcement officer I learned that when young people approach marriage with this spirit of devotion and personal discipline, then purity, peace and happy families are usually the result.

The eighth commandment says, “Thou shalt not steal.” The Communist commandment says, “Thou shalt not get caught stealing.”

The ninth commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Igor Gouzenko stated that the national pastime in his native land is tearing down the man just above you so you can take his place after he is discredited and gone. In our country we have a few people like that but it is not the American Way. One of the favorite Communist tricks is character assassination. American boys and girls should be taught that when they work for a man they should try and be loyal to him. Surely he is just a human being and he will have his faults, but he should be supported in every good thing he is trying to do. This is what builds communities. It builds industry, it builds schools. It builds a nation.

Then last of all we come to the tenth commandment which says we should gain wealth through our own industry. If we see a house, a car, or something else which another man owns, we are not supposed to sit down and try to figure out how we can cheat him out of them. That is what God calls, “Coveting our neighbor’s goods.” Instead, we should go out and work for the things we desire.

To desire good things and work for them is not a sin, but to acquire them by cheating or exhorting them from a neighbor is. While God says to respect the property of others, the materialists have taught for over a century that the object of human existence is the acquisition of loot and power; that the strong man should never be content, never be satisfied; whatever good thing the other man has he should want it and strive to obtain it. The gaining of spoils, the accumulation of others’ wealth and the concentration of power has been their constant goal.

Last of all may I say just a few words about the Christian Code. Here are additional principles which—if understood and practiced—prevent a person from being a good Communist. As I go down the list see if you can determine why the former Soviet Commissioner of Education would say, “We hate Christians and Christianity.”

Here are a number of concepts typical of the teachings of Jesus:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. {258} 258 Matthew 7:12.

Blessed are the peacemakers. {259} 259 Matthew 5:9.

It is better to give than to receive. {260} 260 Acts 20:35.

Do not hate your enemies but do good unto them. {261} 261 Matthew 5:44.

Be as humble and teachable as a little child. {262} 262 Matthew 18:4.

Be wise, aggressive and alert to promote good and preserve peace. {263} 263 Matthew 10:16.

Perfect yourself by overcoming personal weaknesses. {264} 264 Matthew 5:48.

Follow the commandments of God to increase the value of your life and blot out the scars of past mistakes. {265} 265 Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38.

The greatest happiness comes through the greatest service. {266} 266 Luke 10:29-37.

Do good secretly and God—who seeth in secret—will reward you openly. {267} 267 Matthew 6:4.

Christianity also teaches that we are responsible to God for our daily conduct, even for our thoughts. {268} 268 Galatians 6:7; Matthew 5:28. It also teaches the reality of human immortality and the resurrection. We are given the scientific declaration of Paul, Peter, Mary Magdalene, the eleven Apostles and five-hundred members of the Church who saw the resurrected Christ. It is good to know that after we pass from this life we too will eventually receive a perfected physical embodiment.

In his teachings Jesus affirmed what the prophets had taught—that beyond this life we will launch forward into another great pattern of existence. He taught that our next estate has been carefully engineered and will allow us a great variety of new experiences as we pass upward along the endless corridors of the future.

Like the Judaic Code these Christian principles give great strength to any free people. It is not difficult to understand why Communists seek to discredit these concepts. On the other hand, if we teach our children that there is no God, that men are only graduate beasts, that the end justifies the means, and that religious convictions are not scientific, then we will hear a resounding “Amen” from across the ocean.

In closing let me say that I have never had a more thrilling experience than that which has come to me during the past year-and-a-half while serving on the faculty of Brigham Young University. I have been permitted to participate in a pattern of education where several thousand students are being taught citizenship along with their scholarship; where science, philosophy, and religion all find their proper places in the personalities of these boys and girls. I get a great satisfaction watching these young people crossing the campus, loaded down with their textbooks—chemistry, physics, fine art, geology, sociology, history, economics, political science—and mixed in among those textbooks you will generally find a copy of the Bible. A great variety of religious subjects is offered to the student and he may choose those in which he has the most interest.

Across the country many universities are building chapels and emphasizing religious participation. They are doing it because there is an increased appreciation that this is a most important part of the American ideal and the source for much of our strength.

Each Tuesday on the BYU campus approximately 5,000 students voluntarily attend the weekly devotional where they have a chance to catch the inspiration of some of the finest religious leaders in the nation.