On Religious Socialism

by Marie Venner, DSA and Lakewood Left, Colorado

In times when it is easy to get discouraged, our comrade Fran Quigley’s book on Religious Socialism lifts up a lamp of optimism, happiness, and hope that nourishes a socialist spirituality, community, vision, and action. Our comrade’s engaging stories of social justice movements and leaders over the past century or two make for exciting, encouraging, and easy reading. He also provides context and connectivity to such stories and lets us know about many more players in the struggle, new even to those of us who have been making a dive into learning more about our nation’s real history, as opposed to what we were taught in school (individualist/great white man school).

Fran draws on a wide array of primary and secondary sources and presents connects them with humor, perspective, and an uncommon lightness, full of colorful anecdotes. We learn the faith basis and convictions that powered their work for the dignity of all and basic rights for all, sooner rather than later. His recounting gives hope for how regular people stepped forward, inspired by their religious values, and took on a calling for social change -- understanding their strength, wisdom, and capacity, accompanying as well as leading in related struggles.

Many of us grew up with a religion and culture that characterized socialism as a threat and a step toward authoritarianism and oppression, but more and more people can see how anti-democratic our current system is. More and more political and economic power for the top fraction of 1% is leading to greater and greater social, economic, clean air and water and climate risks for us all, amid a system where the executive branch even in Dem trifecta states like Colorado (under DINO gov Polis) keep public interest and public health (clean air, climate) laws from being implemented by controlling commissions and agency appointments. The Guardian reported on recent polling and data on how much Americans are struggling financially, grappling with debt and the rising cost of living, a lack of services enabling all to live and thrive that contradicts our socialist values and morality: (poll and article highlights below)

• More than six out of 10 Americans said it had become more difficult to find a good paying job, buy a home and afford childcare.
• Nearly 80%, including 70% of Republicans fear that Trump’s tariffs will increase the price of everyday goods.
• Americans are left on their own to face high prices and low earnings, are building their own safety nets from a web of financial products, credit cards, buy now, pay later loans, payday loans and student debt. 48% of people would have trouble covering a $500 unexpected expense. 1 in 4 said it would be “very difficult”.
• In fact, a quarter of those surveyed said they spent at least three hours a day worrying about their finances and ability to afford basic necessities. Another 25% of respondents said they or someone in their household had skipped meals in the past year in order to make ends meet, and 26% said they had fallen behind on their monthly bills over the past year.
• 83% said they were concerned about the cost of groceries, with 46% saying they were very concerned. Some 47% said they were worried about being able to pay their rent or mortgage, 64% said they were worried about affording an unexpected medical expense.
• Americans have been losing hope in the parties, leaders, and overall system for a while. Now 76% of those polled say they fear a looming economic recession.
• Only 51% are connecting (big) corporations to these problems, as having had an active role in making life more difficult for average people over the past 25 years, and 52% saying billionaires have made life tougher. A similar number believe congressional Republicans have made life more difficult, with 41% believing Democrats have made life more difficult.
  
  

Gen Z and socialists have been in the forefront of calling out how anti-democratic our current system is as well as inhumane, keeping a majority of the population in a state of precarity without the basics of life comprehended in FDR’s economic rights and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. For a time with and shortly after Bernie’s first run, the majority of young people and persons of color in the U.S. expressed support for socialism; however, the increasingly dire situation and unresponsive government, including Dem leaders, have led to a decline in this, and arguably growing disgust and giving up.  In times like these, belief that “a better world is possible” is critical. We have an encouraging array of those who came before us who believed that, often supported by their religious upbringing or ongoing convictions.  The DSA Religion and Socialism group maintains this space.

Most Americans still say religion or spirituality is important to them. And there is a history of people running for office in the US on socialism as their religious convictions in action, from  Eugene Debs, who ran for president many times and inspired Bernie Sanders, to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Cornel West, with Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim socialists in between. Quigley shows how we can draw hope, amusement, and inspiration from all; they and so many others in key social movements and the growth of socialism in the US are a legacy of Faith in Action for a Better World.

Religious Socialism: Faith in Action for a Better World, published by Orbis books, August 25, 2021.  Fran Quigley is a longtime human rights activist and member of faith-based and health care access advocacy groups, as well as a professor at Indiana University McKinney School of Law.