The news continues to be filled with shocking accounts of Jew hatred (or, as it is more blandly called, "antisemitism"). Ed Morrissey at HotAir described attacks on Jews and Jewish-owned businesses in Philadelphia and New York City last weekend as an "American Kristallnacht." Yet another article -- this one by Darlene McCormick Sanchez at the Epoch Times -- connects the support for Hamas and opposition to Israel with the many Marxist movements that have proliferated in the U.S.
Observant Jews and believing Christians may take issue with that conclusion; surely, one can support the end of hostilities that take the lives of countless innocents without subscribing to Marxist philosophy.
Of course, you can. But the Marxists are using you, nevertheless.
Throughout the history of Marxism, ideologues and activists have often aligned with religious believers by couching their revolutionary aspirations in terms like "fairness" and "justice" that they know will resonate with those having a religious worldview. But Marxists are only interested in using believers until they come to power -- after which their religious allies are disposable.
Karl Marx himself was quite specific on this point. At best, Marx viewed religion as a necessary evil in a world of oppressors, the need for which (like the state) would wither away once the proletariat or working class owned everything.
Despite his purported concern for "the people," Marx was a contemptible racist who referred to Blacks and Hispanics as being "closer to the animal kingdom." He despised Jews ("The Israelite faith is repulsive to me") and had nothing but contempt for "hypocritical" Christians, saying, "The social principles of Christianity preach cowardice, self-contempt, abasement [and] submission." He expressed his ultimate goal thusly: "My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism."
Marx sought not only the abolition of religion and free commercial exchange but "the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions," including private property, the nuclear family, and Judeo-Christian principles of sexual morality.
It is no accident, therefore, that his acolytes in America advocate for the sexualization of childhood and grade school curricula. This movement is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to validate the sexual choices and behaviors of adults and to undermine the moral authority of parents trying to instill traditional values in their children.
Nor is it surprising that certain segments of our society insist that men can become women (and vice versa) merely by so identifying. When one raises the scientific objection that neither personal identification nor chemical or surgical interventions can change chromosomal biology, one is accused of being a bigot or a "transphobe." This accusation is tossed out even if those scientific realities are being asserted to protect safety and fairness for women (a group considered by the Left to be an "oppressed" class until about 15 minutes ago), as champion swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines saw yet again this week, this time when testifying before Congress.
In other words, to point out that human beings are not God triggers sputtering outrage.
Similarly, much of the hatred of Israel seems rooted in Jews' biblical claims of God's gift of the land to them, a fact overlooked by those claiming Israel is an "occupier."
The same can be said of the laws God gave to the Israelites -- most notably, the Ten Commandments, which have provided the foundation for Western society. Those who attack Israel and despise the Jews are openly hostile to the societal principles outlined in the Ten Commandments.
For example, God tells us not to steal or even covet other people's property; Marxists argue that no one should have personal property and that the government should take people's property by force and give it to others. God says, "Thou shalt not kill"; Marxist revolutions are inevitably bloody affairs -- 100 million people have died under communist regimes. God tells us to honor our father and mother; Marxists claim that family ties interfere with the proletariat's love of the state. (In communist countries, children are routinely encouraged to report their parents to the authorities for being "enemies of the state.")
Marxism is utterly unprincipled. The ideology is peppered with phrases like "the end justifies the means" and "whatever it takes to bring about the glorious revolution." Without a belief in God, there is no supreme authority or natural law to which their own laws and policies must adhere to be just.
Instead, it is the "class struggle" of the "oppressor" versus the "oppressed," a struggle in which the vaunted status of "oppressed" can change in the blink of an eye. Facts don't matter, history doesn't matter, philosophical consistency doesn't matter, theft and enslavement and murder don't matter.
If principles hold no sway with Marxists, neither does precedent. In 2020, Black Lives Matter marches quickly turned to anarchy: riots, arson, looting, violence, and even murder. The unrest was often excused as understandable actions by "oppressed" minorities. Now, Jewish Americans who thought they stood proudly with the BLM movement find themselves targeted by increasingly violent mobs shouting, "Intifada revolution!" and "F--- the Jews!"
Where are their defenders? Good question. When the college presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania testified before Congress this week, not one would state for the record that calls for Jewish genocide were violations of university policies.
It's just not "oppressed" enough, I guess.
The same thing will happen to Christians -- yes, even "social justice" Christians -- if the Marxists ever take control and no longer need their support.
There can be a common cause between those who believe in God and those who don't (or aren't sure). But there can be no common cause between those who believe in God and those who hate Him.
To learn more about Laura Hollis and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.