Socialism violates at least three of the Ten Commandments: It

"Socialism violates at least three of the Ten Commandments: It turns government into God, it legalizes thievery and it elevates covetousness. Discussions of income inequality, after all, aren't about prosperity but about petty spite. Why should you care how much money I make, so long as you are happy?" – Ben Shapiro

In this fiery and provocative declaration, Ben Shapiro speaks not merely as a political commentator, but as a moral philosopher warning of the spiritual dangers that accompany certain political ideals. His words carry the weight of ancient truth and modern warning alike. When he declares that “socialism violates at least three of the Ten Commandments,” he is not merely condemning an economic system—he is unveiling what he believes to be a deeper rebellion against the natural and divine order of human life. To Shapiro, the problem with socialism is not only that it fails materially, but that it corrupts the soul, seducing mankind with promises of equality while breeding envy, dependency, and idolatry.

The origin of this quote lies in Shapiro’s broader defense of individual responsibility, faith, and free enterprise, principles that he believes are rooted in the moral foundations of Western civilization. The Ten Commandments, as given in the Hebrew Scriptures, are not merely religious decrees; they are moral laws that have shaped human conscience for millennia. Shapiro invokes them not for theological effect, but to remind modern society that morality must underpin economics. When he says socialism “turns government into God,” he recalls the First Commandment—that no other power shall be worshipped above the Creator. In socialism, he argues, the state becomes the ultimate provider, judge, and distributor of blessings—a false deity clothed in bureaucracy.

His second charge, that socialism “legalizes thievery,” refers to the Eighth Commandment: “Thou shalt not steal.” Shapiro’s reasoning is clear: when the state takes from one citizen by force and gives to another in the name of fairness, it transforms charity into coercion and justice into confiscation. He contends that moral generosity must spring from the heart, not from the decree of officials. For the ancients, virtue was born of choice; an act compelled by power is no longer an act of love, but of submission. Thus, in his view, socialism replaces the voluntary compassion of free men with the cold arithmetic of redistribution—a theft masked as virtue.

The third accusation, that it “elevates covetousness,” reaches to the Tenth Commandment: “Thou shalt not covet.” Here Shapiro strikes at the emotional engine of socialist ideology—the focus on envy rather than gratitude. He reminds us that discussions of “income inequality” often conceal a deeper resentment, a fixation not on lifting oneself up, but on pulling others down. The ancient moralists understood this well: envy corrodes the heart, turning admiration into bitterness and community into class warfare. Shapiro warns that when a people begin to measure justice by comparison rather than by principle, they cease to pursue excellence and begin to despise success itself.

History itself bears witness to his warning. Consider the Soviet Union, where the dream of equality became a nightmare of tyranny. In the name of the people, property was seized, enterprise was crushed, and millions starved under the weight of forced conformity. The government became the god it promised to replace—omnipresent, unquestionable, and cruel. What began as a movement to end greed became an empire of envy, where men spied on neighbors, success was punished, and poverty was universal. In seeking to destroy inequality, they destroyed liberty. This, Shapiro implies, is the eternal pattern: when the state replaces moral virtue with material control, it destroys the human soul along with the economy.

And yet, his argument is not merely against socialism—it is for something far greater. It is a call to moral independence, to a life governed by conscience rather than compulsion. True prosperity, he reminds us, is not measured by comparison, but by contentment. “Why should you care how much money I make, so long as you are happy?” In this question lies a moral challenge to every listener: look inward before you look outward; measure your worth not by the possessions of others, but by the peace within your own heart. For when gratitude reigns, envy dies; when virtue rules, coercion becomes unnecessary.

The lesson of Shapiro’s words is both spiritual and practical. A just society is not built by taking from one man to feed another’s resentment; it is built by inspiring men to rise, to give freely, and to govern themselves with virtue. The antidote to inequality is not envy, but excellence; not control, but compassion freely given. The path to happiness lies not in demanding more from others, but in becoming more oneself.

Thus, let this teaching be remembered as if carved in stone: no government can substitute for the goodness of the human heart. When men cease to worship truth and freedom, they will inevitably worship power. Guard, therefore, against the idolatry of the state, the seduction of envy, and the deception of forced equality. For happiness—true and lasting—belongs not to those who resent what others have, but to those who rejoice in what they themselves can build, earn, and give.