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Salon: Opinion: Troy Williams: When Mormons Were Socialists

Hopefully this is not a news flash for anyone, but I’m not an expert on religion. I’m also not ten-feet tall, if anyone is wondering that as well. I’m especially not an expert Mormonism, which is probably one reason why I’m Agnostic. A devout Agnostic, if there’s such a thing, but what little I do know about Mormonism, is extremely little, as small as Danny DeVito. Which is probably only enough to fill up a bottle cap. That there is a communitarian aspect to Mormonism. That they live together in compounds, that sort of thing.

To suggest that Mormons are Socialists and they believe all people should live this way, have multiple spouses, at least for men, that sort of thing, is a big stretch. The only socialist religion out there, if you want to call it a religion, would be Atheism, or really militant or fundamentalist Atheism that you see on the far-left. The belief that there is no God and today’s so-called Progressives tend to be Atheist. The closest thing we have to a socialist religion in America would be what is supposed to pass as progressivism today. Which is another way of saying democratic socialism.

Today’s socialism really, is a very collectivist, communitarian, share and share alike philosophy. “That we are only as strong as our weakest link. That we need a strong, large centralized, bloated, I mean big government to mandate, I mean ensure economic equality in America. That we don’t have rich, middle or poor people. That we are all the same and equal”. That’s what progressivism looks like from today’s so-called Progressives is. And if this was a religion, it would be a socialist religion.

And as much as today’s, well Socialists in America, may complain or hate religion, they have as much faith and belief in the state, especially the federal state to take care of and look after and manage the people’s well-being, as the Religious-Right believes Jesus will do those things for the people. The Religious-Left in America (and yes, there is such a thing) to call Mormonism a socialist religion or to link Mitt Romney to socialism at any point, is a stretch and pretty humorous.

Sort of like calling people who have salad with their steaks, a vegetarian. A blind person wouldn’t believe that because they could smell the beef. “Where’s the beef, right in front of my nose”. But people are welcome to say and believe anything they want, in a liberal democracy, including Socialists who wished we weren’t a liberal democracy. And if anything Socialists have more freedom to express themselves in our liberal democracy, than in a social democracy. Because of our liberal First Amendment.
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