Mindless Obedience

She remembers the day it all changed.

Her world, her life... everything she knew became twisted. The whole world changed in an instant. It was the day this twisted version of a patriotic political party gained control in her country. They called themselves the party for the country and making it "great" once again. They were led by a man whose rise to power was swift and done by gaslighting the people into believing that he would give them wealth and make their country shine again. His name was Hitler. He destroyed her life, and the lives of millions.

Her sister was one of the many people fooled by the promise of riches and wealth that he made. He promised everything would be great for their country. He claimed he was doing the work of a higher power, yet the word of the high power was the opposite of the messages he spread. Empathy became a sin, when it was once considered a great trait to have and praised by nearly every faith in the world. Her sister was perverted by the twisted message and faith that this master manipulator and his loyalists spread.

Her sister became filled with anger and hatred. The same emotions that fueled his loyalists. This so-called "patriotic" party raged against everything that was once considered moral and right. They twisted it into a warped version to fit the goals this party of hate had. She watched as her mother's heart broke as the hate and hostility of this political demon changed her sister. When her mother tried to break the hold that this darkness had on her youngest daughter, it fueled a vile and abhorrent reaction. Her sister raged against their mother. Heartbroken and defeated by this dark new reality, her mother killed herself over what to her was the loss of her youngest child to this perversion of morals.

In mere months, she watched and mourned as her country became a place of violence against members of the Jewish community and anyone else who was deemed an outsider or disloyal to Hitler and his twisted, immoral vision for her country. It did not stop there either. It did not take long for Hitler to invade neighboring countries with his military forces as he sought to gain control of more than just Germany. He wanted more land under his control and continued his immoral seizure of other humans as his bases expanded their reach. She mourned the loss of her mother caused by her sister's cruel ignorant rage. She mourned the loss of her sister who she no longer even recognized, all she saw now was darkness and hatred in a heart that was once so kind.

She watched the Gestapo go door to door arresting people for being Jewish or being disloyal to Hitler.

Her friends.

Her neighbors.

She knew that no one was safe from this immoral regime that sought power and the destruction of those who the lunatic in control deemed as not 'human'. She mourned as the watched his loyalists celebrated him and the imprisonment of millions of people as his military gathered them up and forced them into torture camps where they waited to die.

Millions were killed.

Millions were murdered.

No one stepped in to stop it before it was too late. He was allowed to take control of the country. He was allowed to speak words of hatred and encourage violence against other human beings because he claimed they were not 'human'. She expected her fellow Germans to resist the evil that he was spreading.

Some did. Many did not.

Many believed his evil lies and went against the words in their cherished Bibles as they allowed him to warp the words of their God into what he wanted them to hear. She was afraid to leave her house because the Gestapo was everywhere. It wasn't until he invaded other nations that the resistance against him truly began. The war against his evil regime raged for years as she lived in fear and silence. She did not understand how this could have happened.

How could anyone believe his lies about the Jewish people? How could anyone truly believe that they all deserved to die? For what? It made no sense to her. How could people claim to follow the word of God, while at the same time, violate nearly every commandment in his book?

My sister, like so many others, did not honor our mother when she followed Hitler's hatred and raged against our mother, causing her death.

Every one of his loyalists elevated him above God by following the deranged lunatic instead of following the word of God and the commandments.

Many of his loyalists in his military committed adultery, among other crimes.

His loyalists pillaged the homes of their neighbors who were taken away, his military forces robbed everything of value they could for him.

They all repeated his lies, believing them and repeating them again and again despite having no true reason to do so. They lied against their neighbors time and time again by turning them into the Gestapo.

His loyalists worshipped portraits of him, worshipping him - the false idol.

They allowed the murder of millions of people. They celebrated the deaths. They were just as guilty as those holding the guns or turning on the gas chambers.

These believers of God followed the narcissistic, evil ruler even if it meant breaking the commandments of their Bible. They elevated him above their God, while claiming that they were still 'good' Christians following by God's word.

She watched as the regime finally began to fall apart as other countries stepped in to stop the crazed monster to make him answer for his crimes against humanity.

Still... millions had already died. Millions.

When he was ended, she finally stepped outside again as tears fell down her eyes. She felt freedom finally from the fear of his regime. His loyalists now spoke against him, many playing as though they were innocent despite the fact that they celebrated him gleefully and sent their loved ones and neighbors to their deaths.

Her sister tried to reach out to her, saying how sorry she was that she believed in his lies and attempted to mourn the loss of their mother. She walked away and never saw her sister again after that. She knew the truth. Her sister, like so many others, chose to believe his lies. They chose to hate a whole group of humans who never did anything to them personally. They chose to condemn their neighbors, family members, friends. They chose to follow the path of hate and immoral beliefs. They chose him.

She was forever haunted by memories of the first day that Hitler took control of her country and the people that followed him and put him into power. The day the course of the world changed.

She never thought she would witness it happening again. She never thought another country would allow hatred and darkness to consume it like hers once did.

Now, she watches in fear as history appears doomed to repeat itself.

Empathy is being called a sin by religious leaders who claim to follow the Bible.

A "leader" condemns groups of people and the loyalists celebrate his words of hatred.

They buy false idols with his face on them - his coins, his Bible, everything with his image on it.

They believe his lies, following by his word instead of the words of their God.

She watches in fear, all over again... hoping that this time, resistance will come before the death of millions...

Hoping that this time, empathy will rise above hate and resistance will win before war....

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:36

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