Ask not what communism can do for you, but what you can do for communism.
Communism is NOT a religion, but it is an embodied social practice, "the real movement to abolish the present state of things," and one important thing that can be borrowed from religious studies which applies to embodied social practices in general is this: Credibility Enhancing Dispolays. i.e. "Actions speak louder than words." According to sociological and anthropological research, there are more effective ways to convince someone to believe in god than making arguments. Religious apologetics are demonstrably less effective than other forms of social influence like Credibility Enhancing Displays or trauma. It is practice, not doctrine, which produces converts. I suspect the same is true of secular movements like communism.
>the proletariat will naturally support communism because it is in their class interests.To an extent, but only a small percentage of the proletariat becomes party members, and at the same time there are remarkable class traitors like Engels. We have to look at what motivates someone to actually join the movement, and not simply "support" it in words. And the answer is risking your life to bring it about. The best way to convince people that communism is important and valuable is not memorizing Marx quotes or slandering other communists as revisionist and opportunist, but sacrificing yourself to bring it about.
https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/17250565/LanmanBuhrmesterCREDsFinal.pdfIf credibility enhancing displays like martyrdom on behalf of faith, enduring torture by the regime on behalf of faith, going to war on behalf of faith, and sacrificing personal belongs on behalf of faith can increase the faith of those around you, then it can also increase the communism of the proletariat around you. They will see communism is the real deal if they see people fighting and dying to bring it about. This is what the academic marxists fail to understand even if they can perfectly recall the letter of marxism.
In the New Testament, Pharisees are seen as people who place the letter of the law above the spirit (Mark 2:3–28, 3:1–6). Thus, "Pharisee" has entered the language as a pejorative for one who does so. In Communism, who is the pharisee who embodies the letter? Amadeo Bordiga. Who is the spirit? Che Guevara.
"It is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear. In his death all things appear fair." - Homer
That is a credibility enhancing display.