The Eternal World Picture, vol. 2
19.6  Heathenism in Christianity
As we have seen in the above there is a lot of heathenism or derailment in the ordinary teaching of Christianity. And this derailment is based to a particular extent on the totally mistaken view of the nature of darkness or so-called "evil". Belief in a Godhead whom one thinks becomes angry, takes revenge and punishes has through the ages given rise to or maintained among other things the deadly thought climate we already know from symbol no. 3 by the term "intolerance". This thought climate has ravaged, and is still ravaging to a greater or lesser extent, religious sects and communities. Likewise so-called "holy wrath" and "righteous indignation" are merely camouflaged intolerance, hatred, anger and bitterness. "Holy wrath" and "righteous indignation" are just as wrong ways of acting as all other forms of manifestation of "evil". Has the world redeemer not said, as previously mentioned, that one should forgive one's enemies not only seven times a day but seventy times seven times a day? In the cosmic laws there is no order or encouragement to perceive any anger, hatred or bitterness whatsoever as "righteous" or "holy". Only the unfinished and as yet primitive human being, who does not know anything whatsoever about the law of fate or the structure of the universe and therefore does not understand the great divine commandment from the world redeemer, can defend hatred, anger, indignation and bitterness as "righteous" or "holy". As long as people believe that the Godhead can get angry, can take revenge and can punish what could then inspire people to get rid of these animal tendencies or habits? What could then inspire them to forgive their enemies? How could people be liberated from darkness, from evil and its consequences: war, murder, killing, accidents, sorrows and suffering, as long as this temperament can get support in religion as "righteous" or "holy"? Is it not true that every war, with its horrors, massacres, mutilations, torturing of people, destruction of cultural assets, its use of atomic or nuclear weapons and so on, is proclaimed by its originator as "righteous", indeed, sometimes even as "holy"? But no thought climate whatsoever can be holy without that total neighbourly love which makes its originator "the human being in God's image after his likeness". And this human being is neither warrior, murderer, robber, swindler nor revenger. To believe that the thought climates of such beings can in any way whatsoever be "holy" is erroneous belief and derailment. Erroneous belief and derailment can in turn lead only to unhappiness and suffering, to unnatural physical death and destruction. Such a thought climate is not Christianity. It can at most be heathenism.
Symbol by Martinus
Symbol no. 19
Through the Darkness of Initiation (Hell or Armageddon)