Auschwitz Then And Now
In my early days, I watched several lengthy films on the Holocaust, such as Schindler’s List and The Pianist. At that time, I was still new in Christ. My heart was not yet fully tenderized by His message, so I could endure watching such horrific depictions. Now, I cannot even bear to visit a live chicken shop to buy chicken meat.
This transformation is the work of God’s Word penetrating beyond my reasoning mind into my heart....once hardened, filled with deceit, and a battlefield of conflicting emotions. As Christ promised in Ez 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
The Holocaust stands as a tragic reminder of humanity’s capacity for evil. I often pray that such an atrocity will never be repeated. Thank God, today the information spreading faster than ever, and people more aware of their ability to speak out, we hope the world has learned to prevent such horrors.
But sad , history shows us that religion and religious people, when far from the truth of Christ, can be one of the greatest threats to humanity.
Consider Adolf Hitler, who claimed to be a churchgoer and a Bible reader, yet his actions were the very antithesis of Christ’s teachings. He even sought to rewrite the Bible to align with Nazi ideology but failed.
Unfortunately, the pattern of twisting Scripture to serve human agendas is not unique.
In recent history, individuals like John Nelson Darby and Cyrus Scofield and their like minded associates inserted their ideology into theological commentaries and footnotes, and massive propaganda giving rise to movements such as "Christian Zionism". This has indirectly contributed to the loss of tens of thousands of lives in recent years...an example of how religious extremism can fuel violence.
As Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight” John 18:36. Yet many today carry a cross in one hand and a weapon in the other, using the name of Jesus to justify actions that Christ Himself would never condone.
The bottom line is this.....true faith in Christ leads to peace, humility, and love, not violence or oppression. May we remain vigilant, ensuring our beliefs align with the message of the Gospel, not human ideologies masquerading as divine truth.
