The Immortality of Living Beings
The article: The Necessity of Spiritual Science
Chapter 12
How dictatorship defeats both religion and materialistic science
One must not believe that the same fate will not overcome other totalitarian systems and their originators if a change in their attitude to the advantage of true democracy or true communism does not set in. However, quite apart from this, it cannot be denied that evolution is advancing quickly. The choking octopus tentacles of the principle of dictatorship with their suckers are, at this moment, clasping all states and individuals without one really wanting to admit this truth. For these suckers present themselves as innocent, unavoidable, emergency measures such as "import bulges", shortage of goods, price-rises, wage struggles, strikes, lock-outs and unemployment. These deadly suckers in turn force the governments, regardless of whether they are democratic or communist, into dictatorial measures as regards access to accommodation, heating, light and clothing, to transport, to permission to travel abroad, to the sale and purchase of goods. In addition to this there is the enormous consumption of the state's money for the dictatorial levying of military forces, for a preferably supreme army and navy complete with an expensive air force. Sighing and groaning under this dictatorial yoke, which the public has been induced to believe to be true democracy or true communism, this condition gives rise to a strengthened fresh outbreak of "nationalism" or the worship of one's own nation at the expense of other nations. And with this weakened confidence in, or deluded attitude to, true democracy the path is more or less clear for the onward march of total dictatorship. Censorship of speech, thought and spirit begins to cut off the last remains of personal freedom. The dictatorship becomes complete. And this entire development of dictatorship is flourishing not least within the Christian states and is practised to a great extent by beings who are baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is true that this development was never wanted and in reality is not wanted by people today either, where they are not being mesmerised by inflammatory propaganda in favour of dictatorship. It is something that takes place despite people's striving to create democracy or communism. It is something that religious as well as political powers, like material science, have not yet been able to remedy.