1 September 1942 0
From the journal of Wilm Hosenfeld, a Captain in the German army:
1 September 1942:
There are no commandments now against stealing, killing or lying, not if they go against people’s personal interest. This denial of God’s commandments leads to all the other immoral manifestations of greed - unjust self-enrichment, hatred, deceit, sexual licence resulting in infertility and the downfall of the German people. God allows all this to happen, lets these forces have power and allows so many innocent people to perish to show mankind that without him we are only animals in conflict, who believe we have to destroy each other. We will not listen to the divine commandment: ‘Love one another’. Very well, then, says God, try the Devil’s commandment, the opposite: ‘Hate one another’. We know the story of the Deluge from Holy Scripture. Why did the first race of men come to such a tragic end? Because they had abandoned God and must die, guilty and innocent alike. They had only themselves to blame for their punishment. And it is the same today.