Bishop Baron: Marxism begins by attacking faith, and history shows where it ends

Secretary Rubio lyrically invoked Dante, Cologne Cathedral, Shakespeare, the democratic form of government, the university system — and even the Beatles and Rolling Stones — as representations of that shared vision. But then he took another step that particularly caught my attention. In the spirit of both Pope Benedict XVI and church historian Christopher Dawson, he notes that culture is closely linked to worship, that is, to religion. In short, all the things we value are related to the things we value most. Therefore, Secretary Rubio was not afraid to be identified The Judeo-Christian faith As the deepest and most committed source of what is best in Western culture. He concluded that only when Europe and America rediscovered together the sources of their common culture would they find the cohesion they each longed for.

I was pleased to see that this clarion call was met with a standing ovation. And I think even that jaundiced and secular audience felt the true spirituality behind Rubio’s speech.

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But not everyone was happy with his speech. representative. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezShe, who happened to be in Europe at the same time as Rubio, mocked the secretary of state for her preoccupation with Western culture, which she described as “thin.” She emphasized that all cultures are ephemeral, fleeting, and unstable; Therefore, social analysts should not focus on weak cultural achievements, but on the “material” elements of society that manifest themselves in the class struggle.

I would first like to note that it is simply astonishing to assert that the culture that produced the university system, affirmed the rights and privileges of the individual, and led to the democratic rule of law, is “meager.” But second, I would like to draw attention to the troubling Marxist quality in AOC’s wording. Karl Marx held that all serious students of political economy should focus their attention on the class struggle between those who have power and those who do not. He also saw that different Expressions of culture – Art, literature, science, entertainment, and especially religion – are only incidental superstructural features, whose entire purpose is to protect the economic infrastructure. Therefore, a responsible intellectual should at best acknowledge culture, but in no case should he become preoccupied with it – which is precisely the recommendation made by AOC in her stark rejection of the ideological underpinnings of the West.

Something that has become a growing concern for me is the prevalence of overt Marxism in the discourse and practice of some people Left leaders in America. We heard recently New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani Extolling the “warmth of collectivism,” one of his top aides insisted that people in our largest cities should get used to the idea that government can and must expropriate private property and seize the means of production.

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Again, Marxism is not implicit or hidden; It’s right out in the open, on display without apology. This should concern every American. I would strongly encourage Mamdani and AOC followers to talk to those who fled Marxist authoritarian regimes in Russia and Eastern Europe or those today living under communist oppression in North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, or China. And I sincerely doubt that any of them would gratefully acknowledge the “warmth of collectivism.”

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I speak out against this extremism not only as a concerned American, but also as a citizen Bishop of the Catholic Church. Marx said that the first criticism is the criticism of religion. He meant that before we can come to value capitalist political economy, and certainly before we engage in revolutionary practices, we must do away with religion, which functions, as he famously described it, as “the opium of the masses.” We must break our addiction to the supernatural drug of faith, which has desensitized us to our suffering and which has provided cover for the oppressor class. It is important to note that the political followers of Marxism followed their master closely in this regard. Witness the strategies of Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and Pol Pot, to name just a few of the most famous examples. Their opening move was always to attack the churches.

Some may find the Marxism promoted by some of today’s radical politicians trendy and refreshing, something to talk about at cocktail parties on the Upper East Side. Given the historical record, I find it frightening.

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