This piece from "The Strength to Love" is chilling.
We do not need to look far to detect the dangers of soft mindedness. Dictators, capitalizing on soft mindedness, have led men to acts of barbarity and terror that are unthinkable in civilized society. Adolf Hitler realized that soft mindedness was so prevalent among his followers that he said, "I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few." In Mein Kampf he asserted: "By means of shrewed lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell - and hell, heaven.... The greater the lie, the more readily it will be believed."
Therefore, we must always remind one another of what it is to be within the Reign of God - in heaven. Hell cannot have its way with us and it must not - even when it demonstrates the ability to create order and peace and community. Hell is a community where the Reign of God has been silenced...or simply forgotten for something that will fit our visions for life as we want it. I think of all the build up to the Iraq war. Lies - unremittingly repeated. We must be diligent - even in times in which we think we are doing so well.
Come, Lord of Life. Come and shape us into the truthfulness of your Reign. Amen.
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