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E
very time l think about religion,
it reminds me of words like
"chaos " "division ""confusion "
'
.
'
'
aod "war." Scenes of "Christian sol-
diers" come to mind. 1 vividly re–
rnember the newspaper picture of
severa! soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon,
earlier this year captioned "Chris–
tian Gunmen." l ncredible!
Religion Has Dlvided Humankind!
English into practically a universal
religiously oriented madmen who
language. But the real reason more
have soaked this earth in blood.
progress has no t been made, believe
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hit-
it or not , can be laid at the feet of
ler are a couple of recent cases in
religion - thc root and core of all
point. Remember Mussolini stand-
divisive elements dividing mankind.
ing on his balcony wi th his eh in out.
Religious overtones a re impos-
audacious ly telling everybody what
sib le to ignore in everyday life. Take
a wonderful savior he was to the
the Presidentia l elections. Lct's face
human race?
the cold, hard facts. Whether or not
Hitler preached about a thou-
a man is a Catholic, Protestant, or
sand-year reign of the Third Reich,
Historically, one of the major divi-
Jew is very important to his nat ional
the concept of which he cxtrap-
sive forces keeping human beings
constitueocy. People get uptight, up-
ola ted from the Bible. He under-
apart has been the myriads of dif-
set, excited, and worried about the
stood that Christ was to return to
fering points of view about why we
possible effects of a man's religion
ea rth to rule for a thousand years.
are here, how we got here, and wha t
on his politics. His torically a
di-
He arbit rarily decided that's who he
we ought to do while we are here.
vorced man could write off his
was. Hitler actually thought of him-
Traditiona lly people have had thou-
chances of being elected to the top
self as a savior.
sands of ditfering, confticting belie fs
national office. True, sorne of these
He owed it to the world to pro-
and opinions about the subject of old principies and mores have gone
duce a s upe r race of blonde, blue-
religion. Inevitably these
apparently
by the boards in recent years. Still,
eyed Aryans. He singled out the
irreconcilable dilferences have led
religious overtones a re clearly to be
Jewish race as the a rchenemy of all
to open warfare. Witness Northern
seen in a lmos t every aspect of good Teutonic ideals. Hitler and his
lreland today! Sorne people there
American life.
henchmen ruthlessly expressed their
express their religious hatred with
ha te-fi lled anti-Semitism by exter-
guns, knives, and bombs. Tragically,
Rel igion - the Prime Shaper of
minating six mi Ilion Jews.
innocent little children are sorne-
Clvilization
One G erman author attributed
times the helpless and unsuspecting
A study of the history of man's reli-
Hitler's "success" to his religious ap-
victims. Babies in carriages have
gions reveals that they have been
peal. " His [Hitler's] success with the
been blasted to bits by bomb-toting
the prime shapers of all that we call
masses was above all
a phenomenon
terrorists who label
r----------------------------.
of the psychology of
themselves as
religion.
He spoke
"Christians." Both
less to people's po-
sides profess belief
RELIGION-
litical convictions
in Jesus Christ, but
than to their spiri-
the contradiction in
tual s ta te ' ' (Joa-
belief and practice
'NhoNeeds lt?
chim Fest,
Hitler,
is painfully obvi-
p. 329). Hitler sim-
o u s . The word
ply rekindled smoi-
"Ch ristian" has
Who needs religion in the Space Age? With Mars
dering religious
be en
d r a g g e d
landings, lunar walks, space probes, and politics
fires that had long
through th e rnud
in a Presidential year, what has religion got to do
burned in Teutonic
o v er a nd o ve r
history, and be
again.
with the price of putty?
preached a radical,
Bu t N o r t he r n
by
Garner Ted Armstrong
nationalistic gospel
lreland is not the
that had previously
only country where
seen the Father-
"Christians" are Iocked in bit ter civil
civilization. Religion has been be-
land as the chie f defender of the
strife. Lebanon, previously a jet
hind the arts, literature, and human-
Christian faith. Notice this oratori-
setters' playground, has been ripped
ity's very life-style. You cannot
cal example from the pages of
completely apart by a "civil war"
sepa rate the history of humaokind
Teutonic history in the dark ages.
which is nothing more than a reli-
from th e growth, d eve lo pment,
"Our race, on the contrary, was
gious war between Moslems and
me tamorphosis, schisms, splits, aod
judged worthy of the irnperium be-
Cbristians.
breakups of various religious move-
cause of its innate virtue and bc-
Tradi tionally, the human race has
meots.
cause of the perseverance with
beeo divided by tribalism, chauvin-
His to rically re liglons have di-
which we took the labors of God
ism, po li tics, color, and language
vided humankind and ultimately
upon ourselves" (Strauss.
Manifes-
ba rriers. However, global communi-
sent it into battle. Egotistical, meg-
lations of Discontent in Germany on
catioos and rapid transportation
a lomaniacal dictators have used re-
the Eve ofthe Reformation,
p. 7 1).
have tended to break down sorne of ligion to propel their na tions into
Adolph Hit ler, under the aegis of
these bas ic elements dividing major cooftagrations with uncoun-
religious appeal, became perhaps
humankind. Witness the growth of table war dead. History is rife with
the worst demigod in all human his-
16
The
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1977