No, Adolph Hitler never spoke about the inspiration of Scripture (that I know of).
But last week I posted two blog posts that got quite a bit of discussion, and I found the comments on these two posts quite … ironic.
They were these two posts:
Here is what happened:
The Hitler Billboard Post
In the first post I criticized a church for putting up a billboard which quoted Hitler. I thought that a church had no business quoting Hitler, even if what Hitler said was true.
If you go read the comments, you see that the vast majority of the comments were in favor of quoting Hitler. Though these are not exact quotes of anybody, many people said things like “All truth is God’s truth” and “We should be able to recognize that other people may teach God’s truth, even if we don’t like what they stand for.”
OK. I see the point. I also agree (for the most part).
But just as I would never quote Satan approvingly (even if it was a true statement), I don’t think churches should be quoting Hitler.
But whatever … people are free to disagree. (As many of them did.)
The very next day, however, I posted another post, and I was shocked at the response.
Inspiration and Other Religions
In this post, I argued that God has been whispering His truth to lots of people throughout time, not just to a select few Jews in a small corner of the world for a short period of time.
As such, I argued, it should not be surprising for us to find divine truth in the writings of other religions.
Judging by some of the comments I received, you would think I had just announced my conversion to atheism!
The Two Posts Compared…
But then it hit me …
Why is it okay to accept “truth” as “God’s truth” when it comes from Hitler, but it is heretical to accept “truth” as “God’s truth” when it comes from Buddhist Sutras, Hindu Vedas, or Native American legends?
If all truth is God’s truth (as people claimed on the Hitler post), then why are some so shocked when some of God’s truth is found in the writings of other religions?
I just don’t understand.
I suppose it was because I used the word “inspired” in the second post, though I tried to clarify that what I meant by “inspired” was “God whispering His truth to people.” That’s not deserving of being called a heretic, is it? All I am saying is that God has somehow taught truth to people who were not biblical authors. Heck, maybe that’s how Hitler learned the truth he stated about children, which was quoted in that billboard!
I wonder what would have happened if I had been able to find a quote from Hitler which said the same thing I said in the second post … people’s minds would have exploded!
Anyway, I thought it was strangely ironic that in one post I am condemned for one thing, and in the very next post, I am condemned for exactly the opposite (sometimes by the same people!).
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn” (Matthew 11:17)
Haha yeah I actually noticed this as well after reading all the comments. I’d say your usage of “inspired” really did a doozy on some readers :p
Jeremy I may have been one of those people. However I view it quite differently than you. When Hitler was quoted it was a direct quote which is to my view a true statement. The fact is I don’t believe God whispered that quote to Hitler. Unbelievers are quite capable of speaking truth as they are made in Gods image. Yes even Hitler. Stalin. Pol Pot and Castro etc. The second article was about God speaking to other groups and inspiring their religions (maybe I am mistaken but that’s the way I took it). I believe people can speak truth and God is not behind the plans and operations of these people. If you meant God can whisper to them truth in general I believe the way we were made in His image makes all of us believer or unbeliever receptive potentially to that. The way I understood that article was that God was somehow involved in the promotion of their belief system? Perhaps I misunderstood. —Jeremy what is the deal with this CONDEMNATION blather? Who is condemning you?
Mark,
Yes, I would say you misunderstood. I never said anything about God involved in the promotion of their belief system.
It’s a Calvinist thing. “Yes, we’re elected, but then again – not really….”
Pagans breathe…therefore it is not right that we do. Same logic. It rains on the just and unjust. They can speak truth, and if Balaams ass can, why can’t other humans too? Haha
Balaam. Why do I always imagine Jim Carrey “Excuse me…. I’d like to assk you a few questions.” – ?
Easy. Paul says God’s invisible qualities and nature are evident through nature. They may not know by what name but the subtext of the divine is clear. And before anyone brings up the obvious objections to this — I went to seminary too.
I think it has to do with connection to religion, as in “other religion”. For some reason that freaks people (believers) out more than a guy like Hitler. Maybe its because they do not have a firm understanding of their beliefs. Any ” other” religious thought was heresy, they might be led astray, and be doomed to hell. Agreeing with a thought from Hitler didn’t pose a eternal risk. Too funny in my mind. Or very sad.
Funny or sad is right. hard to say which!
I thought this would definitely apply to me because I often contradict myself (and get caught!), but not this time. Ha-HA!
Think the Matthew quote says it all, really 🙂
Ha! Yeah, it does.
Things that make you go, “Hmmm….”
If you want a good example of “divine truth in the writings of other religions”, punch “Golden Rule” into wikipedia.
Right! That “truth” is found nearly all religions.
Do you mean this type of truth?
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Open Doors visits Mpeketoni victims
Open Doors has visited victims of Sunday’s attack on the Kenyan town of Mpeketoni. At least 60 people were killed when gunmen attacked hotels and the police station in the coastal town, and then went on to carry out further assaults in nearby villages.
As soon as the attack commenced, local pastors called Open Doors. Throughout the attack we remained in contact, literally watching and praying with them.
The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed local political groups.
“I cannot begin to describe the horror”
According to witnesses, the gunmen went first to the police station, where they disabled communications and disarmed police officers. Then they moved into the town and began asking locals if they were Muslim or Christian. If they were Christians they were shot dead. They broke into houses, dragged the men into the streets and executed them. Women and children were released, but houses and cars were set on fire.
The next morning, a pastor told an Open Doors worker, “We did not sleep last night. My family and I hid in the hotel where we had gone for dinner. Thankfully they did not come in but we heard the gunshots. We heard them celebrating. I cannot even begin to describe the horror of it all… They flew the al-Shabaab flag and lined up dead bodies in the streets and kept shouting ‘Allahu Akubar’ [‘Allah is greater’].”
On 18 June, the BBC reported that another 15 people had been killed and 18 women abducted in a separate attack on villages around Mpeketoni.
“The Christians in Mpeketoni are in need of urgent prayer,” says an Open Doors worker. “Those church leaders and members who fled into the forest to hide from the attackers are starting to cautiously return to the town. They now have the difficult task of seeing which church members did not survive the attack. Beyond that, they have to find the courage to continue living for Christ in this difficult environment.”
Source: Open Doors; BBC
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Or the type of truth that in 2002 Muslims set fire to a train of Hindu pilgrims at Godhra station in Gujarat, 59 Men, Women and Children.
Or the Crusades when we tried to enforce Arabs to convert to Christ, those that didn’t were tortured, mutilated and killed you mean that type of Truth.
How arrogant is man to condemn anyone, for in truth he condemns himself.
Clive
Nope. But that sort of “truth” is all over in the Old Testament as well as people went out in the name of God to slaughter those who they considered to be His enemies. Before we point the finger at Muslims, we ourselves have some explaining to do….
People get very confused. The best lies (and liars) take a seed of truth then twist it to their own ends. So yes, even Satan used truth in his efforts to tempt Jesus, just as Hilter, Pol Pot and others used a seed of truth in what they said. You’ll find a bit of truth in most religious writings as well. The question is whether you think that, by drawing people in with part of the truth, these other scriptures lead them away from Jesus.