The claim that Hitler and Stalin were atheists, and committed their crimes against humanity because of their lack of belief in a Deity, is not borne out by Hitler's own writings and speeches, which are peppered with references to God and His divine plans for the German people. Unless Hitler was a completely cynical hypocrite, he must have believed at least some of this. He had been, after all, brought up as a Catholic.
For instance, after the Reichstag fire Hitler, with Goering, Goebbels and von Papen, inspected the smouldering ruins and said to Sefton Delmer, the Daily Express correspondent who was also present, "This is a God-given signal, and if this fire, as I believe, turns out to be the handiwork of Communists, then there is nothing that shall stop us now crushing out this murder pest with an iron fist. You are witnessing the beginning of a great new epoch in German history."
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3 comments:
I'd say, Anticant, that something of that religion which was instilled into him during his childhood years may have remained there to re-emerge in adulthood. He made use, for his own convenience, of that knowledge - not belief. If it had been a belief then he wouldn't have behaved as he did.
Anyhow, who knows what is in the innermost depths of an insane, or murderous, person?
Who knows what's in the innermost depths of anybody - even oneself?
There's a saying that everyone has four selves. There is the self that you and I both know. There is the self that I know and you don't, because I keep it secret. There is the self that you know and I don't, because when you try to tell me about it I become angry. And there is the self that neither of us knows.
Wonderful stuff, AC - and it was very relevant here :
http://crawleyindependent.blogspot.com/2007/05/letter-blog-by-letter-blogger.html
Thanks - bon vacances !
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