_For the Good of the State
Bill Fortenberry
_ To demonstrate that the correlation of America’s Constitution to the teachings of the Bible was not mere coincidence, I have made a similar comparison between the 25 points of the National Socialist Program and the doctrines of the Scriptures. It should be immediately apparent that the demands of the Nazi party were antithetical to the commands of God, and it can be surmised that the subsequent fall of that government was a direct result of their rejection of His Word.
1. Paragraph 2 – “We demand… abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.” This demand contradicts the biblical command given in Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 to “pay that which thou hast vowed.”
2. Paragraph 4 – “Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood.” This paragraph stands in direct contrast with the “uniform law of naturalization” taught in the Bible. The process by which anyone of any blood could become a Jew is outlined in Exodus 12:48 and Deuteronomy 23:7-8.
3. Paragraph 5 – “Whoever has no citizenship… must be under the authority of legislation of foreigners.” This stipulation is in direct violation of the biblical mandate to have one law for both citizens and foreigners as explained in Exodus 12:49 and Numbers 15:15-16.
4. Paragraph 6 – “We combat the corrupting parliamentary economy.” This rejection of the elected governing body stands in stark contrast to the Israelites system of public election which they employed for the choosing of kings and elders as evidenced in II Samuel 5:3 and in Deuteronomy 1:15 respectively.
5. Paragraph 7 – “If it is impossible to sustain the total population of the State, then the members of foreign nations (non-citizens) are to be expelled from the Reich.” The expulsion of those who were not of German descent was a violation of the biblical prohibition against oppressing foreigners which was given in Exodus 22:21 and Exodus 23:9.
6. Paragraph 8 – “Any further immigration of non-citizens is to be prevented.” When Germany ended her immigration program she violated the clear teaching of Hebrews 13:2.
7. Paragraph 9 – “All citizens must have equal rights and obligations.” The equality demanded by socialism is not consistent with God’s creation of a separate class of citizens in Israel for the completion of a specific task which was forbidden to the rest of the nation. The selection of this class is recorded in Numbers 3:5-12.
8. Paragraph 10 – “The activity of individuals is not to counteract the interests of the universality.” By placing the good of the state before that of the individual, the Nazis ignored the teaching given in I Corinthians 12:22-26 that the suffering of the individual is the suffering of the whole.
9. Paragraph 11 – “We demand… abolition of unearned (work and labour) incomes.” The provision for the fatherless and the widows is a core doctrine of the Bible. It was established in the Law in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, and it was stated to be one of the purest principles of religion in James 1:27.
10. Paragraph 12 – “We demand the total confiscation of all war profits.” The confiscation of private profits is a direct violation of I Timothy 5:18 which states that “the labourer is worthy of his reward.”
11. Paragraph 14 – “We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.” The distribution of profits demanded by socialism is not consistent with the lesson of the parable given in Matthew 20:1-15.
12. Paragraph 16 – “We demand… the utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.” This paragraph is in violation of the scriptural mandate to have no respect of persons as stated in Proverbs 28:21 and James 2:9.
13. Paragraph 17 – “We demand… provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility.” The expropriation of land from the citizens was forbidden to the government of Israel according to Numbers 36:7 and Ezekiel 46:18.
14. Paragraph 18 – “We demand struggle without consideration against those whose activity is injurious to the general interest.” This paragraph stands in stark contrast with the Bible’s provision of cities of refuge, trial by jury and just judges as commanded in Deuteronomy 19:1-13, Numbers 35:24-26 and Deuteronomy 16:18-20.
15. Paragraph 19 – “We demand a German common law in place of Roman Law serving a materialistic world-order.” A materialistic world view is obviously contradictory to the Bible which states in Colossians 1:16-17 that all things were made by God and for God.
16. Paragraph 20 – “The State is to be responsible for a fundamental reconstruction of our whole national education program.” The Bible very clearly places the responsibility for education on the parents in Deuteronomy 1:6-9.
17. Paragraph 20 – “The plans of instruction of all educational institutions are to conform with the experiences of practical life.” The emphasis on practical education at the expense of religion and the arts ignores both the clear dictate in Deuteronomy 1:6-9 to teach the commandments of God and the example of Chenaniah who taught the art of music according to I Chronicles 15:22.
18. Paragraph 23 – “We demand legal opposition to known lies and their promulgation through the press.” This prohibition against freedom of speech and freedom of the press is contrary to the teachings of the Bible given in Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 and Isaiah 29:20-21.
19. Paragraph 24 – “We demand the freedom of religion for all religious denominations within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose the moral senses of the Germanic race.” Making religious liberty subject to the moral whims of the people ignores the clear teaching of Proverbs 14:12 and Jeremiah 17:9.
20. Paragraph 25 – “For the execution of all this we demand… unlimited authority of the central parliament over the whole Reich and its organization in general.” This granting of unlimited authority in a governing body is contrary to the example of the Bible in which all authority is given to the written Word of God. Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 17:18-20 and Proverbs 30:6 all state that the Law given by God to Moses superseded all laws which may be given by men.
1. Paragraph 2 – “We demand… abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.” This demand contradicts the biblical command given in Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 to “pay that which thou hast vowed.”
2. Paragraph 4 – “Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood.” This paragraph stands in direct contrast with the “uniform law of naturalization” taught in the Bible. The process by which anyone of any blood could become a Jew is outlined in Exodus 12:48 and Deuteronomy 23:7-8.
3. Paragraph 5 – “Whoever has no citizenship… must be under the authority of legislation of foreigners.” This stipulation is in direct violation of the biblical mandate to have one law for both citizens and foreigners as explained in Exodus 12:49 and Numbers 15:15-16.
4. Paragraph 6 – “We combat the corrupting parliamentary economy.” This rejection of the elected governing body stands in stark contrast to the Israelites system of public election which they employed for the choosing of kings and elders as evidenced in II Samuel 5:3 and in Deuteronomy 1:15 respectively.
5. Paragraph 7 – “If it is impossible to sustain the total population of the State, then the members of foreign nations (non-citizens) are to be expelled from the Reich.” The expulsion of those who were not of German descent was a violation of the biblical prohibition against oppressing foreigners which was given in Exodus 22:21 and Exodus 23:9.
6. Paragraph 8 – “Any further immigration of non-citizens is to be prevented.” When Germany ended her immigration program she violated the clear teaching of Hebrews 13:2.
7. Paragraph 9 – “All citizens must have equal rights and obligations.” The equality demanded by socialism is not consistent with God’s creation of a separate class of citizens in Israel for the completion of a specific task which was forbidden to the rest of the nation. The selection of this class is recorded in Numbers 3:5-12.
8. Paragraph 10 – “The activity of individuals is not to counteract the interests of the universality.” By placing the good of the state before that of the individual, the Nazis ignored the teaching given in I Corinthians 12:22-26 that the suffering of the individual is the suffering of the whole.
9. Paragraph 11 – “We demand… abolition of unearned (work and labour) incomes.” The provision for the fatherless and the widows is a core doctrine of the Bible. It was established in the Law in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, and it was stated to be one of the purest principles of religion in James 1:27.
10. Paragraph 12 – “We demand the total confiscation of all war profits.” The confiscation of private profits is a direct violation of I Timothy 5:18 which states that “the labourer is worthy of his reward.”
11. Paragraph 14 – “We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.” The distribution of profits demanded by socialism is not consistent with the lesson of the parable given in Matthew 20:1-15.
12. Paragraph 16 – “We demand… the utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.” This paragraph is in violation of the scriptural mandate to have no respect of persons as stated in Proverbs 28:21 and James 2:9.
13. Paragraph 17 – “We demand… provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility.” The expropriation of land from the citizens was forbidden to the government of Israel according to Numbers 36:7 and Ezekiel 46:18.
14. Paragraph 18 – “We demand struggle without consideration against those whose activity is injurious to the general interest.” This paragraph stands in stark contrast with the Bible’s provision of cities of refuge, trial by jury and just judges as commanded in Deuteronomy 19:1-13, Numbers 35:24-26 and Deuteronomy 16:18-20.
15. Paragraph 19 – “We demand a German common law in place of Roman Law serving a materialistic world-order.” A materialistic world view is obviously contradictory to the Bible which states in Colossians 1:16-17 that all things were made by God and for God.
16. Paragraph 20 – “The State is to be responsible for a fundamental reconstruction of our whole national education program.” The Bible very clearly places the responsibility for education on the parents in Deuteronomy 1:6-9.
17. Paragraph 20 – “The plans of instruction of all educational institutions are to conform with the experiences of practical life.” The emphasis on practical education at the expense of religion and the arts ignores both the clear dictate in Deuteronomy 1:6-9 to teach the commandments of God and the example of Chenaniah who taught the art of music according to I Chronicles 15:22.
18. Paragraph 23 – “We demand legal opposition to known lies and their promulgation through the press.” This prohibition against freedom of speech and freedom of the press is contrary to the teachings of the Bible given in Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 and Isaiah 29:20-21.
19. Paragraph 24 – “We demand the freedom of religion for all religious denominations within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose the moral senses of the Germanic race.” Making religious liberty subject to the moral whims of the people ignores the clear teaching of Proverbs 14:12 and Jeremiah 17:9.
20. Paragraph 25 – “For the execution of all this we demand… unlimited authority of the central parliament over the whole Reich and its organization in general.” This granting of unlimited authority in a governing body is contrary to the example of the Bible in which all authority is given to the written Word of God. Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 17:18-20 and Proverbs 30:6 all state that the Law given by God to Moses superseded all laws which may be given by men.