Spiritual needs
Dear Editors.
Reference your recent article “Socialists Against Religion" and the letter from Ms Garwood. Your reply did not adequately cover the point raised about the spiritual uses of religion. Perhaps socialists do not understand what spiritual needs mean to a religious person. Perhaps socialists do not even realise that spiritual needs are, in fact, catered for within socialism.
Without being religious it is still obvious that "man cannot live by bread alone". With a little sunshine, food and water the tomato plant will thrive in its little pot on the window sill, it will even bear fruit and reproduce. But man is not a vegetable. To be human, in the generally accepted way, is to have feelings and thoughts. Man has emotional and moral needs as well as physical ones.
Socialism, along with all other political factions, has concentrated on man's physical needs and largely ignored his others. All religions, on the other hand, have concentrated on man’s emotional and moral needs and largely ignored his physical ones. This is why politics and religion can usually work side by side, because they concentrate on different aspects of man's needs.
When religious people refer to "spiritual" needs, they merely mean emotional needs. When religious people refer to the “soul", they are referring to the state of mind, the way a person thinks, in short, his morality. His "soul" will be saved if his thoughts mirror those of his religious dictators. There is nothing magical or mysterious about the spirit or soul, they are only terms used by religious people who have avoided serious thinking about emotions, minds and thoughts.
In my opinion socialism satisfies physical needs better than capitalism, it also satisfies "spiritual" needs far better than any religion.
Under capitalism man competes with man for everything — fame, success, property, the "right" to work, he even competes for love and affection. Man regards his neighbour as an enemy, he cannot trust him. Man is totally insecure. he lives in perpetual fear, fear of violence, fear of losing his assets, fear of failure, fear of being considered useless and worthless. Capitalist man cannot protect himself from this fear, he cannot rely on his fellow man for protection because he is a potential enemy. Man is alienated not only from his work, but far more important, he is alienated from his fellow man. His only hope of protection comes from outside the real world — he appeals to religion. God will protect, God will provide, God will consider him equal, God will relieve his fear and offer some emotional comfort in times of conflict.
Under socialism man co-operates with man, they work together for a common cause. Man regards his neighbour as a friend, he trusts him, he can turn to him for help. Regardless of abilities and potentials each man is considered equal to the next, so there are no failures. Surrounded by friends, man has no fear of his fellow man. he feels totally secure. Instead of going outside the real world to satisfy his spiritual needs, he can find emotional comfort and security from within his civilised socialist society and from his many friends.
Even the "soul" or moral needs are better catered for under socialism. Thousands die of starvation while capitalist Christians burn their surplus food. Is this right? If I were a Christian my soul would not rest watching people starve while food was being deliberately destroyed. Socialists have the best answer to this problem — produce for people's need, not profit and greed is it not the right thing to do?
Capitalism produces conflict, which inevitably leads to war, with millions of lives needlessly lost. Each side prays that "God" is on their side. Is this right? Does this not cause conflicts in the Christian soul or mind? The socialist mind is at peace, he does not want to fight his fellow man, he wants to work with him.
Under socialism your spiritual needs will be well catered for. you will feel emotionally secure and your mind will be at peace, knowing society has made the best use of its resources. You do not need to go outside socialism for "spiritual" guidance.
J. P. White
High Wycombe
Reply:
It is no mere quibble on our part when we have misgivings about the use of the word "spiritual" in connection with socialism. We are concerned to communicate the socialist case to workers and in this struggle words are vital: there must be a consistent clarity in their use. The case for socialism is a materialist — not a moral — one. based on a materialist conception of human history, it is confusing and diverting to introduce incorrect terms like "spiritual" when there are perfectly clear and accurate ways of expressing our case without it. We also take issue with J. P. White’s persistent use of the masculine description of the human race; socialism will bring the emancipation of all humanity without distinction of sex and the way we state our case must reflect this.
Editors.
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