The'>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1072531.The_Naked_Communist?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Naked Communist by http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/138426.W_Cleon_Skousen">W. Cleon Skousen

My'>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38478170?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED this book! I took my sweet time reading it and soaked up every word. This book reviews the history of communism from its rise with Marx until 1960. The only bad thing is that I would love to read "the rest of the story," meaning through to the present.

This book was extremely eye opening in regard to how communism was spread. It was frustrating reading about the lacsidasical attitude of government officials world wide who had blinders on and let the USSR run wild at the close of WWII. They never believed that the Russians were really "that bad." It was also interesting that while the world sat back and watched LDS church leaders like President Benson, J. Rueben Clark and David O. McKay were declaring from the pulpits for all to realize that communism was seeking to destroy our liberty. I wonder how many were listening? Is my family listening now?

Here are some quotes just so you know...

“The paths we are following, if we move forward thereon, will inevitably lead us to socialism or communism, and these two are as like as two peas in a pod in their ultimate effect upon our
liberties......We may first observe that communism and socialism—
which we shall hereafter group together and dub Satanism—cannot live with Christianity nor with any religion that postulates a creator.”
J. Rueben Clark Deseret News—September 25, 1949

"During the first half of the twentieth century we have traveled far into the soul-destroying land of socialism." Pres. McKay, Deseret News Oct. 18, 1952

“The aim and purpose...was then and is now world socialism, which communism seeks to achieve through revolution and which socialists seek to achieve through evolution.” Pres. Benson Oct. 1961-General Conference

Anyway...My edition was published in 1961. Here are a sampling of some of the communist goals at that time that I thought were still interesting nearly 50 years later... (see "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers also these lists are found from pages 259-262 in the book).

*Capture one or both of the political parties in the US.

*Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

*Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

*Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

*Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

*Break down cultural standards of morality be promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.

*Present homo-sexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

*Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

*Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture-education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics,etc

*Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

*Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

Okay, so that was only about 1/3 of them. I realize there may be some anti-communist propaganda involved with this book. However, with LDS church leaders crying out against communism I guess that's okay.

I believe that our nation is in jeopardy of being over ran with socialism. Socialism is just another face to communism. I believe that it is important to study these things so you can recognize fallacy in the political machines of our age.

The reason I read this book was because it was suggested by then President of the Church, David O. McKay, during General Conference of Oct. 1959. (I couldn't find this talk on line, but I did find numerous! on-line references to the talk Pres. McKay gave calling church members to read the book).

Here's a link to an article about Skousen writing the book. http://www.latterdayconservati...

It was interesting to learn that Pres. Monson was actually involved in the initial publishing of this book...

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