Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left has Sabotaged Family and Marriage by Paul Kengor. Washington DC, WND Books, 2015. 206 pages
Issues surrounding homosexuality have filled the political news for several years now. In his recent book Takedown, Dr. Paul Kengor presents the idea that communists and the far left have tried to break down the family and marriage by using so-called LGBTQ rights as a platform.
Dr. Paul Kengor is an expert in the study of communism. He has earned his bachelor’s and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and his master’s from American University. He has extensive experience teaching about and studying communism.
Kengor takes readers step by step through how the idea of marriage was broken down by communists. He started out by saying that the repercussions of redefining marriage remain monumental. He provides statistics and studies that show that people are more successful when they have a father figure in their lives, but the idea of fatherhood is disintegrating. Kengor argues that this is because of the increased acceptance of homosexuality through the work of communists and extreme leftists.
He advanced this idea by clearly pointing out that when a society starts to redefine marriage it constitutes: 1.) rebelling against God, and 2.) allowing room for polygamy and polygyny to exist. He concluded this argument by claiming that our society will eventually fall apart as a result.
In Takedown, Kengor specifically tackles the idea that communism has sought to break down marriages and helped legalize gay marriage in America. He offered clear examples from history and historical communist figures that have fought for marriage rights for individuals identifying as LGBTQ. He wrote that communists extensively discussed free love, which essentially allowed loving anyone else romantically regardless of their gender. This encouraged homosexuality.
In addition, he argued that Karl Marx actually wanted to abolish and bring total destruction to the family. Specifically Marx wrote in Communist Manifesto: “Abolition of the family!”
Furthermore, communists asserted there needs to be a community where everything lived equally and communally. This thought extended to families, which meant there would not be any parents, and children would be raised collectively. There also would not be a concept of marriage, as anyone would be allowed to sleep with whomever they please.
Many of Marx’s disciples took these fundamentals and advocated for abortion and divorce, especially in the Soviet Union. When abortion and divorce became legal, abortion and divorce rates increased at an alarming rate. It essentially destroyed generations and families.
In addition, Kengor brought up the idea of “sexual revolution,” which William Reich wrote about. Kengor argued that according Reich’s writings, there must be a sexual revolution for there to be a full communist revolution.
Kengor gave examples of how communism broke down families and marriages. He brought up events from the lives of feminist leaders Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood; Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique; Kate Millett, the feminist writer. He stated that these women all experienced failures and tragedies in their marriages because of the distorted idea of family and marriage that is preached by communism. He even mentions former President Barak Obama and accused him of having communist tendencies, which led him to support the idea of LGBTQ rights.
Takedown’s strengths included providing excellent examples and historical knowledge about communism. However, Kengor seems to approach his writing with a particular political bent that appears to skew some of his arguments. For example, Kengor essentially charged former President Obama for being a communist. He linked Obama directly to communism because of his affiliation with Frank Marshall Davis, a journalist who was a member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA).
But just because Obama conversed with a man associated with communism does not mean that he too is a communist. Moreover, his views on LGBTQ policy do not necessarily have to do with communism. It may have been because of the pressures from within his political party. Or he may have even trying to obtain more votes from the LGBTQ community.
In addition, Kengor contested in Takedown that communists and extreme leftists are using homosexuality as a method to destroy families. This could be true to a certain degree. But it is not the sole purpose of communism and progressivism.
I pray that the readers of Takedown will understand that supporting homosexual behavior is an act of rebellion toward God. But Christians must also remember to approach people who identify as LGBTQ with love and empathy that they may turn away from their sins and return to our God.
Comment by Rebecca on February 5, 2018 at 9:41 pm
I’m surprised no one has commented on this article. The writer admits Paul Kengor, is an expert on communism, but does not believe him as to his conclusions on Mr. Obama. I read Obama’s auto-bio and came to the same conclusion as Mr. Kengor. Mr. Obama has had many communist friends throughout his life, not just Frank Marshall Davis. His Kenyan father was a communist. And a “Community Organizer” is a job done by communists. Dean Gotcher is another Christian expert on communism easily accessed on the net with background information on communists in America. Lenore Weitzman is one of the communists who worked on getting the California No Fault Divorce Law passed and that was to help get the ball rolling on gay marriage.