Date: 21 Aug 96 02:23:05 EDT
From: neil <74742.1651-AT-compuserve.com>
Subject: marxism vs. religion


dear friends

On this Religion  issue in the US marxist/workers  movement , there is not much
in the way of serious revolutionary materialist critique of religion in the US
left in the last 60 years or so.
This in the main is because most of the main US left currents have had a
capitulationist and  opportunist stand on the question for many decades (as well
as others which are linked to this question!).

Early Bolshevism  and Left-communism as well as some better worker Anarchist
and syndicalist currents are  much much   better.

Ironically , one of the best writings put out in the US --but a bit dated (circa
1922??) was from a  courageous maverick Episcopal Bishop William Montgomery
Brown of Galion, Ohio who claimed christianity was now dated and degenerated
into tying the worker masses to the capitalist system and was  in essence
counterrevolutionary .

Brown was an ardent defender of the Russian revolution  of 1917, but not
uncritical.
He also campaigned for mass support in his church for workers in mass struggle
against capital . He had quite a following for a decade or so.

he  wrote prolifically in promotion of marxism-NOT 'Christian socialism'  which
he also claimed was a snare and fraud.

his best work (when they were not being torched by reaction!) are
1) Communism and  Christianity -Banish Gods from the sky and the Capitalistsfrom
the Earth! Wm. M. Brown 
He called himself an infidel and was proud of  it ! Something like
"Infdelium at Bolshevikium", or close.
He politics looks like he had active ties to the  IWW  and the early CP (circa
1919-26).

Today of course groups like the fake CPUSA and the other opportunists would kick
him out on the spot! His 'crime". Valourously promoing scientific  materialism 
and marxist socialism and not sucking up to religious mysticism and 
refurbished spiritualist mummeries dressed up in a 'radical' cloak as
opportunist/reformist trends do.

University research  libraries would probably carry his stuff..

I have  seen them at only one Left book outlet in used book section..
The So. Calif Library of Social Research
6120 S. Vermont Ave 
LA, Calif.

 exBishop Brown knew his Bibble but shows how Marxism towered over it ,
politically, ethically, philisophically, economically and otherwise

Neil





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