Theos-Talk Archives (July 2006 Message tt00327)

Dear Friends, 

During the 1930s and 1940s, Adolf Hitler controlled and used the Vatican and the German Catholics as he pleased. 

British Historian Paul Johnson writes on the Second World War (1): 

“During the war, the churches’ attitude to Hitler became, if anything, more servile. There was whosale confiscation of church property of all kinds, each ministy taking what it wanted. There was anti-Christian propaganda in the armed forces. But the churches continued to greet Nazi victories by ringing their bells, until they were taken away to be melted down for war effort. Only seven Catholics in the whole of the German Reich refused to perform military service; six were executed, the seventh was declared insane. The sacrifices of the Protestants were more considerable, but still insignificant. (...) Hitler, whom [Pope] Pius XII saw as the indispensible bastion against [Communist] Russia, himself equated true Christianity with communism.”

And more:

“In the end [Hitler] intended to exterminate the Christians. But first he wanted to deal with the Jews. Here he rightly believed he could get German Christian support, or at least acquiescence. ‘As for Jews’, he told Bishop Berning of Osnabruch in April 1933, ‘I am just carrying on with the same policy which the Catholic church had adopted for 1500 years’.” 

Nazism and Neo-Nazism have nothing to do, therefore, with Theosophy, or the divine wisdom which teaches non-violence, universal brotherhood and respect for all life. 

Of course non-violence is not a mechanistical principle. We also know that H. P. Blavatsky tried to fight in the battle of Mentana (1867) on the side of Garibaldi and against the Vatican forces. That was a strong and disastrous evidence of her personal impulsiveness. It was far from being the happiest episode in her life, as she was hurt, considered dead. She was probably brought back to life by occult means, and had to suffer physical pains all her life as a consequence of that youth incident, when she was only 36. 
She created the theosophical movement eight years later. 

The stern rules for disciples include harmlessness. Although individual independence is granted to everyone, the consequences of harmful actions belong to each one and won’t fail to reach him or her. The karma of that particular episode in HPB’s life was deadly quick for her. 


Yet, wrong as that violent attitude was, one has to admit that bravely fighting a popular war against powerful and militarized tyrants is one thing. On the other hand, conquering and ruling nations through the use of Fear and Terror, or promoting state-organized mass-killings of innocent and defenseless people, including millions of women and children -- it is... well, it is NAZISM. 

We should not forget that. 

Best regards, Carlos Cardoso Aveline



NOTE: 
(1) “A History of Christianity”, Paul Johnson, Penguin Books, copyright 1976, 556 pp.; see p. 490. 


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