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How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World #1-3
How The Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World
Complete with Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of "How The Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World" Communism is neither a trend of thought, nor a doctrine, nor a failed attempt at a new way of ordering human affairs. Instead, it should be understood as a devil — an evil specter forged by hate, degeneracy, and other elemental forces in the universe. THOUGH THE COMMUNIST REGIMES of Eastern Europe have disintegrated, the specter of communism has not disappeared. On the contrary, this evil specter is already ruling our world, and humanity must not harbor a mistaken sense of optimism. Communist China has replaced the Soviet Union as the primary threat to the free world, building up its strength in a bid for global hegemony. Europe embraces socialism, and Africa and Latin America are enveloped in communist influence. Even the United States — the leader of the free world — has fallen prey to communism and its variants. This is the startling reality humankind faces. HOW THE SPECTER OF COMMUNISM IS RULING OUR WORLD is a must-read for every freedom-loving individual. The book reveals the ways in which the communist specter has burrowed into the minds of today’s people. It charts communism’s global advance and explains how this specter has embedded itself in nearly every facet of today’s society — from education to the judicial system — and the path humanity must take to escape its grip.
490 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 18, 2021
I would highly encourage everyone to read this. Although it is very text book at times, all the information is documented. The threat of communism is very real not only in the USA but around the globe. What China has done and acquired is more than I thought. Citizens everywhere need to be aware.
June 9, 2021
"Some people have said that power must not be privatized, and wealth must not be collectivized, or else disaster awaits mankind..."
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World was a mixed bag for me...
On the positive side; the book provides a succinct summary of the long march of this ideology - from its humble beginnings, to eventually spreading its tentacles to the upper echelons of many key Western institutions.
On the negative side; much of the writing here is a bit tone-deaf and/or antiquated in its style and analysis. Quite a lot of the prose is overly religious in nature, and it has the effect of making the book sound as though it were written in the 1950s...
The culture war and its related battles of ideology are interesting subjects, so I put this one on my list when I came across it by chance through the Epoch Times website.
The book is available for free on the site, and a breakdown of its chapters, along with accompanying headers can be found in the link above.
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World is a mainly chronological look at the genesis, and then proliferation of the ideology of communism.
[NOTE: For simplicity purposes, I will use the terms "socialism" and "communism" interchangeably in this review.]
The book begins with the French Revolution: Jacobins, Robespierre, and The Terror are covered. The writing continues with socialism's spread through Europe; including the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the founding of Communist China by Mao Zedong in 1949. Continuing on, the writing follows the spread of the ideology to institutions in the West; right up to the current day.
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World does not get off to a good start, IMO, as there is a baffling amount of religious rhetoric here. There are countless references to God, the Devil, and Evil in the Preface and Introduction alone.
It is clear that the writers of this book are heavily religious people, and the writing here reflects that:
The writing in the rest of the book employs religious language liberally throughout; painting the entire subject as a Manichean dichotomy. While religious people might appreciate the inclusion of so much religious jargon here, I did not.
Indeed, most of the writing in this book is contrasting communism's incompatibility with established religion (namely Christianity). This is my biggest criticism of the writing here.
The book makes many ridiculous attacks on Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. Just a few examples:
The Blasphemy of Evolution
"Taken by itself, Darwin’s theory of evolution is a flawed hypothesis that has been long discredited."
~ Uhh, no it hasn't...
"That the theory of evolution is full of loopholes and flaws is well-documented, but a discussion of that subject lies beyond the scope of this book..."
~ How convenient... LMAO
The book describes communism as the work of the "devil" and "evil". Religious narrative(s) aside, this is a misreading of the intentions of the ideology. Communism is a utopian ideology. And, like all other utopian ideologies; massive atrocities are tolerated, allowed, and sometimes encouraged, because the pursuit of utopia infinitely weighs down the "benefits" side of the cost/benefit scale. Anything becomes justifiable in the pursuit of utopia.
"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs" is a quote used by many prominent socialists that speaks to the above point. Unfortunately, people are not eggs, and communism has never produced an "omelet."
The writers talk about the problems inherent to a planned economy:
The historical account the writing examines here was (fortunately) interesting and informative. Although much of what is covered here was not new to me, many naive readers will no doubt find much of what is presented here to be very elucidative.
Of particular note is how this set of ideas managed to claw its way through Western educational institutions. Herbert Marcuse and The Frankfurt School are covered here, as is academic tenure.
The ideological orthodoxy of leftist thought in the humanities and social sciences departments is also covered very well by the authors here.
There is a ridiculous bit of writing in chapter 11 that talks about the "dangers" of rock music, which makes the book sound like it was written by evangelical Christians; circa 1949. Aside from apparently causing degeneracy, drug use, and suicide, the authors write:
Fortunatley, the book wraps up with some decent writing. The authors mention China's "Unrestricted Warfare" in pursuit of usurping the United States as the global hegemon. China expert Michael Pillsbury's book on this topic: The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower is cited. An excellent look at the subject; I would highly recommend it to anyone reading this review.
********************
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World covers a timely topic, but I feel that the overwhelming inclusion of so much religious rhetoric here undermines and delegitimizes thoughtful and rational criticism of this starkly antihuman ideology.
A decent case can be (and should have been) made for opposing communism without the ridiculous inclusion of so much religious rhetoric and quotes from the Bible.
"100 million dead in 100 years" is a rough metric that can be used to examine the results of this ~century-long social experiment; the greatest catastrophe in human history.
The book also makes many dubious and hyperbolic assertions; effectively reducing the credibility of the entire presentation. Too bad, as I generally enjoy content from The Epoch Times...
So although I have a great personal disdain for the ideology of communism, this book left a lot to be desired.
2.5 stars.
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World was a mixed bag for me...
On the positive side; the book provides a succinct summary of the long march of this ideology - from its humble beginnings, to eventually spreading its tentacles to the upper echelons of many key Western institutions.
On the negative side; much of the writing here is a bit tone-deaf and/or antiquated in its style and analysis. Quite a lot of the prose is overly religious in nature, and it has the effect of making the book sound as though it were written in the 1950s...
The culture war and its related battles of ideology are interesting subjects, so I put this one on my list when I came across it by chance through the Epoch Times website.
The book is available for free on the site, and a breakdown of its chapters, along with accompanying headers can be found in the link above.
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World is a mainly chronological look at the genesis, and then proliferation of the ideology of communism.
[NOTE: For simplicity purposes, I will use the terms "socialism" and "communism" interchangeably in this review.]
The book begins with the French Revolution: Jacobins, Robespierre, and The Terror are covered. The writing continues with socialism's spread through Europe; including the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the founding of Communist China by Mao Zedong in 1949. Continuing on, the writing follows the spread of the ideology to institutions in the West; right up to the current day.
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World does not get off to a good start, IMO, as there is a baffling amount of religious rhetoric here. There are countless references to God, the Devil, and Evil in the Preface and Introduction alone.
It is clear that the writers of this book are heavily religious people, and the writing here reflects that:
“The Communist Manifesto” begins: “A specter is haunting Europe— the specter of communism.” The use of the term “specter” was not a whim of Karl Marx. The preface of this book argues that communism should not be understood as being an ideological movement, a political doctrine, or a failed attempt at a new way of ordering human affairs. Instead, it should be understood as being a devil—an evil specter forged by hate, degeneracy, and other elemental forces in the universe..."
The writing in the rest of the book employs religious language liberally throughout; painting the entire subject as a Manichean dichotomy. While religious people might appreciate the inclusion of so much religious jargon here, I did not.
Indeed, most of the writing in this book is contrasting communism's incompatibility with established religion (namely Christianity). This is my biggest criticism of the writing here.
The book makes many ridiculous attacks on Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. Just a few examples:
The Blasphemy of Evolution
"Taken by itself, Darwin’s theory of evolution is a flawed hypothesis that has been long discredited."
~ Uhh, no it hasn't...
"That the theory of evolution is full of loopholes and flaws is well-documented, but a discussion of that subject lies beyond the scope of this book..."
~ How convenient... LMAO
The book describes communism as the work of the "devil" and "evil". Religious narrative(s) aside, this is a misreading of the intentions of the ideology. Communism is a utopian ideology. And, like all other utopian ideologies; massive atrocities are tolerated, allowed, and sometimes encouraged, because the pursuit of utopia infinitely weighs down the "benefits" side of the cost/benefit scale. Anything becomes justifiable in the pursuit of utopia.
"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs" is a quote used by many prominent socialists that speaks to the above point. Unfortunately, people are not eggs, and communism has never produced an "omelet."
The writers talk about the problems inherent to a planned economy:
"The planned economy has natural and obvious defects. Firstly, it requires the collection of huge data in order to make reasonable arrangements for production. For a country, especially a modern country with a large population, the amount of relevant information is unimaginably large. For instance, the former Soviet Union’s commodity pricing bureau had to set prices for 24 million different kinds of goods. Such calculations are impossible..."
The historical account the writing examines here was (fortunately) interesting and informative. Although much of what is covered here was not new to me, many naive readers will no doubt find much of what is presented here to be very elucidative.
Of particular note is how this set of ideas managed to claw its way through Western educational institutions. Herbert Marcuse and The Frankfurt School are covered here, as is academic tenure.
The ideological orthodoxy of leftist thought in the humanities and social sciences departments is also covered very well by the authors here.
There is a ridiculous bit of writing in chapter 11 that talks about the "dangers" of rock music, which makes the book sound like it was written by evangelical Christians; circa 1949. Aside from apparently causing degeneracy, drug use, and suicide, the authors write:
"The characteristics of rock-and-roll include inharmonious sounds, unstructured melody, strong rhythmic beats, and emotional conflicts and contradictions—quite similar to the communist idea of struggle..."LMAO, Ok then...
Fortunatley, the book wraps up with some decent writing. The authors mention China's "Unrestricted Warfare" in pursuit of usurping the United States as the global hegemon. China expert Michael Pillsbury's book on this topic: The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower is cited. An excellent look at the subject; I would highly recommend it to anyone reading this review.
********************
How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World covers a timely topic, but I feel that the overwhelming inclusion of so much religious rhetoric here undermines and delegitimizes thoughtful and rational criticism of this starkly antihuman ideology.
A decent case can be (and should have been) made for opposing communism without the ridiculous inclusion of so much religious rhetoric and quotes from the Bible.
"100 million dead in 100 years" is a rough metric that can be used to examine the results of this ~century-long social experiment; the greatest catastrophe in human history.
The book also makes many dubious and hyperbolic assertions; effectively reducing the credibility of the entire presentation. Too bad, as I generally enjoy content from The Epoch Times...
So although I have a great personal disdain for the ideology of communism, this book left a lot to be desired.
2.5 stars.
May 28, 2021
This book helped me see the world more clearly. I recommend that you can read it yourself. For the content discussed in the book, each reader will have his own conclusion, and this conclusion should be based on your own reading, thinking and judgment.
May 11, 2021
I read Volumes 1-3 which you can buy all together now. I did not read the Kindle Edition. If you want to know what is going on within our country and in fact around the world...check this read out. Pretty amazing.
September 3, 2020
Great insight about the recent history of the world's international politics. With FACTS that everyone should know about.
November 30, 2021
Should be required reading.
October 8, 2023
This two-volume set should be required reading for everyone. It is eye-opening! I have always had a great interest in history, current events, and how the two are related. As a result, much of what was in this was not unfamiliar to me. However, having it all put together in one place with a greater depth of knowledge is invaluable to seeing the whole picture and how little details color it all in. Things that you think are happenstance are far from it. Once pointed out you cannot unsee it.
I have seen some reviews that think the text was “preachy.” I disagree. The authors point out that this world has always been ruled through an understanding of the divine up until recently (in historical terms). Whether a culture/country is Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, etc. the guiding force has always been through the divine. This book points out the importance of being led by the divine and not strictly human nature, wants, and whims. Human nature always seeks power and prestige. It is greedy and will always feed itself first. When the divine is removed, there is nothing to hold back the baser instincts, and regard for humankind is lost.
This book gives the reader a sweeping view of communism and how it has affected and infiltrated life around the globe, how it has infiltrated politics, governments, corporations, and even sports. It is in all walks of life whether knowingly or not. The language in the book is easily accessible and understandable, the examples/references are solid, and the information is invaluable. So many dots are connected. Knowledge is power.
Warning: After reading this book you may become very frustrated with people who don’t have a clue and are not willing to get one!
I have seen some reviews that think the text was “preachy.” I disagree. The authors point out that this world has always been ruled through an understanding of the divine up until recently (in historical terms). Whether a culture/country is Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, etc. the guiding force has always been through the divine. This book points out the importance of being led by the divine and not strictly human nature, wants, and whims. Human nature always seeks power and prestige. It is greedy and will always feed itself first. When the divine is removed, there is nothing to hold back the baser instincts, and regard for humankind is lost.
This book gives the reader a sweeping view of communism and how it has affected and infiltrated life around the globe, how it has infiltrated politics, governments, corporations, and even sports. It is in all walks of life whether knowingly or not. The language in the book is easily accessible and understandable, the examples/references are solid, and the information is invaluable. So many dots are connected. Knowledge is power.
Warning: After reading this book you may become very frustrated with people who don’t have a clue and are not willing to get one!
February 8, 2023
Having background knowledge about communism and being a culture watcher, some of this information was familiar to me. The last section covered the One Belt, One Road initiative, which I only knew a little about and it was rather eye-opening to the extent that the CCP has conquered much of the world economically.
Although this was originally written in Chinese in 2004, this early 2020 English edition (written before the COVID pandemic) reads like it was written by a native English speaker. The author(s) come from the Fulan Gong worldview but also address the Judeo-Christian worldview of the West. They see that man needs to return to "the divine" and traditional values and reject the devil of communism that will destroy mankind.
The authors don't have a clear understanding of a biblical worldview of the Christian faith but only see Christianity through a traditional cultural lens. So, they see Jesus as a teacher, not as the Son of God.
The books will give the reader a sweeping view of how communism has infiltrated all the institutions of Western culture without getting them too bogged down in extensive details. I recommend these books to those who are not familiar with the growth of communism and especially the growth of neo-communism. These texts will also provide readers with insights into the Chinese Communist Party that they might not find anywhere else.
I just caution readers to understand that the book comes from the Falun Gong worldview and the authors' understanding of the Christian worldview is not correct.
Although this was originally written in Chinese in 2004, this early 2020 English edition (written before the COVID pandemic) reads like it was written by a native English speaker. The author(s) come from the Fulan Gong worldview but also address the Judeo-Christian worldview of the West. They see that man needs to return to "the divine" and traditional values and reject the devil of communism that will destroy mankind.
The authors don't have a clear understanding of a biblical worldview of the Christian faith but only see Christianity through a traditional cultural lens. So, they see Jesus as a teacher, not as the Son of God.
The books will give the reader a sweeping view of how communism has infiltrated all the institutions of Western culture without getting them too bogged down in extensive details. I recommend these books to those who are not familiar with the growth of communism and especially the growth of neo-communism. These texts will also provide readers with insights into the Chinese Communist Party that they might not find anywhere else.
I just caution readers to understand that the book comes from the Falun Gong worldview and the authors' understanding of the Christian worldview is not correct.
October 27, 2024
Wow, Americans better wake up like yesterday. Russia has been influencing our country in every way possible for decades
February 12, 2025
Wow, just wow. Part 1.
April 4, 2022
As with all works, nothing is written without some form of personal interpretation of events.
Bold claims Darwinism has been disproved; clearly depends on the readers interpretation of "disproved". In some camps it has been disproved while others will admit to holes in the theory will attest is has not been disproved. This is were personal interpretations of events collide in any work.
The author being the Editorial Board of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party indicated to me more than one agreed on conclusions as they were written. Consider the Epoch Times was founded by two journalists who left China to start their media company here, it makes clear the constant repetition of "communism is evil". It also supports the constant repetition of Godly "good", communism "devil". I believe they could have removed the repetition of this narrative and removed 150 pages.
However they do describe in detail what is happening today. It is up to you the read to determine if the purpose is good or evil. We have seen the changes enough throughout our lives to make this determination ourselves.
Two things to constantly ask yourself, first being if so many past generations end their golden years saying "I'm glad I raised my children when I did"; I've heard many, including myself, my parents and even my grandparents make this statement; then how can we consider "we have made anything better for our children?"...
Second can we ever hope man, whether democratic or communistic, truly create a utopia when people themselves can't agree on what utopia is?
I do suggest reading as you should learn a lot of what is happening in society, education, government; whether you agree or not is up to you, the reader; however you will learn how we got where we are today giving yourself the ability to act in how you conclude.
Bold claims Darwinism has been disproved; clearly depends on the readers interpretation of "disproved". In some camps it has been disproved while others will admit to holes in the theory will attest is has not been disproved. This is were personal interpretations of events collide in any work.
The author being the Editorial Board of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party indicated to me more than one agreed on conclusions as they were written. Consider the Epoch Times was founded by two journalists who left China to start their media company here, it makes clear the constant repetition of "communism is evil". It also supports the constant repetition of Godly "good", communism "devil". I believe they could have removed the repetition of this narrative and removed 150 pages.
However they do describe in detail what is happening today. It is up to you the read to determine if the purpose is good or evil. We have seen the changes enough throughout our lives to make this determination ourselves.
Two things to constantly ask yourself, first being if so many past generations end their golden years saying "I'm glad I raised my children when I did"; I've heard many, including myself, my parents and even my grandparents make this statement; then how can we consider "we have made anything better for our children?"...
Second can we ever hope man, whether democratic or communistic, truly create a utopia when people themselves can't agree on what utopia is?
I do suggest reading as you should learn a lot of what is happening in society, education, government; whether you agree or not is up to you, the reader; however you will learn how we got where we are today giving yourself the ability to act in how you conclude.
March 9, 2021
This book reads like a textbook. It is stuffed with facts about the origins of communism, its stealthy expansion around the world and the horrific destruction it has caused. The book alerts people to the methods and means of the communists, from conventional arms to their 'unrestricted ' warfare arsenal of terrorism, propaganda, bribery, lawlessness and more. The book explains the effect communism has had in China, and how the reality differs from the country's projected image. It also provides examples of how the communists have, for more than a century now, been surreptitiously penetrating all walks of life in the Western world and elsewhere in an effort to establish world dominance. It discusses communism's connection to the United Nations, Islamic radicals, the environmental movement, critical theory, postmodernism, the radical left, socialism and so on. The proposed solution is a return to traditional values, with not much elaboration on how this could best be achieved.
It was not an easy read. The book covers an ambitious volume of material in about 600 pages, so it is summarized and densely packed. The subject material is a bit depressing and the principal message is repetitive. However, the book did a good job of 'sounding the alarm' about the imminent risk to Western freedoms and was worth reading.
It was not an easy read. The book covers an ambitious volume of material in about 600 pages, so it is summarized and densely packed. The subject material is a bit depressing and the principal message is repetitive. However, the book did a good job of 'sounding the alarm' about the imminent risk to Western freedoms and was worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2021
An encyclopedia on Communism, Socialism, Progressivism, an the new Woke morality. Also, a warning of what is coming in our future.
This book explains the present war against freedom in these time when our rulers are shutting down conservative and Christian conversation, books, education and more.
How the Specter of Communism is Ruling the World is a one stop reference book on the subject that they will not teach in schools.
That is why this this is a book that everyone should read.
This book explains the present war against freedom in these time when our rulers are shutting down conservative and Christian conversation, books, education and more.
How the Specter of Communism is Ruling the World is a one stop reference book on the subject that they will not teach in schools.
That is why this this is a book that everyone should read.
April 7, 2022
Everyone should read this 2 books to be better informed about the Chinese Communists and how they are taking over our world right under our unsuspecting noses. The evil specter of Communism moved its headquarters from Europe to China. Its tentacles reach out worldwide now, and they are ready to choke the rest of the world to death.
June 21, 2020
Quite a rant, with insights that are not all that new. Too much "conspiracy theory" ruins an occasionally valid argument, but inaccurate theological concepts lead to egregious missteps. Not recommended. Read the Bible and C.S. Lewis' "Abolition of Man" instead.
August 24, 2021
Propaganda Garbage. Should be a Fiction Book
August 13, 2021
Great read! More people need to learn from past mistakes! Educate yourself with this book and pass your experience on to others so we can spread the word!
July 25, 2024
Very depressingly eye opening. I always knew something was working away at this nation but never knew it went so far back or so pervasive.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews