Communism and atheism are closely linked in the minds of many Americans. Similarly, most Americans see communism and Christianity and the Bible as significantly opposed to each other. Despite this association, there is a clear place for communist ideals within both the words of the Bible and many Christian practices.

Certainly, communism has a long association with atheism. The communist state of Russia abhorred religion, and those who practiced religion were often persecuted. Karl Marx, often considered the founder of modern communism, noted that "religion is the opiate of the masses," meaning that religion blinds the common people to evil and manipulation, and makes them content with their meager lives.

Interestingly, however, the Bible contains many passages that have a communist bent. These passages speak clearly to the need for communal living and sharing. Says the book of Acts, "All that believed were together, and had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need" (Acts 2:44-45).

This Act is clearly supports the ideals of the father of communism, Karl Marx, who argued for distribution according to need, and the common ownership of goods in his famous text, The Communist Manifesto.

Further, the teachings of Jesus speak often to the need to help the poor, a commonly communist sentiment. Jesus even commanded a rich man to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor in order to gain entrance to heaven.

Many Christian denominations adopt what are commonly considered to be communist practices. Christian groups like the Mormons and the Hutterites are collections of people that share many communist ideals. These groups often choose to live together in communes, share material goods with other members of the group, and commonly work for the greater good of the group.