Have you ever considered why educated people are so attracted to communism? In every place that system has been implemented, it has been a blatant, horrifying failure! What is causing these people to get so involved in it?
Herbert W. Armstrong addressed this very question. In 1968 he wrote, “I have before me an important book—called Witness, by Whittaker Chambers. He was, as you may remember, a noted Communist who turned against communism. He exposed alleged activities of Alger Hiss, prominent in the State Department. They had a world-famous trial. Whittaker Chambers wrote a book about it.
“What is important is that he explains, as probably no one else ever did, why educated people—hundreds of college professors among them—become Communists.
“This is important to you! Communism, in fact, is evil! But do men join in it because they desire to be and do evil? No, indeed! They join it because they see this is a sick world! Because they lose faith in existing governments—existing society—existing systems of economics and business.
“Chambers explains how today’s world crisis resulted from ‘the impact of science and technology upon mankind’” (co-worker letter, Sept. 29, 1968; emphasis mine throughout). In modern thinking, science and technology are hailed as an unmitigated good for humanity.
“Science and technology came into the world representing themselves as a god—to solve the world’s ills,” Mr. Armstrong continued. “What Chambers does not mention is that science and technology drove out God and the Bible from education, introduced godless evolution ….” Science and technology were supposed to save us, but they only made things worse; they just pushed God and the Bible right out of the picture. That is why we have so many problems today. Until that time, a lot of people had faith in God, but no longer!
Science and technology “started even the churches doubting God—doubting Christ was God’s Son—doubting God’s truth. But science and technology failed to solve the world’s troubles. Problems multiplied—troubles escalated. This brought on world crisis.
“World wars are the military expression of the crisis, says Chambers. Worldwide depressions are its economic expression. Universal desperation—college students losing all hope for the future—is its spiritual expression. And this, he says, is the climate of communism.
“Educated men see these conditions. They see we live in a sick world! So, Chambers explains, ‘Philosophers have explained the world: It is necessary to change the world!’ Communism is a new faith! Many people have lost faith in this Western world’s sick society. So they feel they must have a faith to live by. They have a conviction, We must change the world.” They want to change the world—but through communism it’s going to become far worse, as they ought to know.
“These people are blinded to any faith in God,” Mr. Armstrong continued. “They are cut off from God. God just doesn’t exist in their thinking. They see no faith in ‘democracy’—they see no national purpose in the United States; they want to have a part in changing the world!
“Actually, communism is like plunging from the frying pan into the fire. It is going from bad to worse! But they see only that the present state of things is bad. Communism claims to be able to change the world. They assume the change will be good. It is a straw which they grasp!”
This world really does need to be changed. It is sick in every direction you look. But it is deeply delusional to believe that its problems can be solved by communism.