Ignorance, Idolatry and Wickedness

Adolf Hitler and his admirers

When we speak of wicked, despotic men, Adolf Hitler invariably becomes the ultimate measure of evil rulers and murderous dictators.

Even though worse men have existed throughout human history such as Genghis Khan, Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong, Hitler's name is always synonymous with evil. Stalin, for example, murdered at least 20 million people throughout the Soviet Union during his reign of terror as the Soviet Premier from 1922 until his death in 1953. Some historians claim that figure could be as high as 60 million.

Mao Zedong, the infamous Chairman of China's Communist Party from 1943 until 1969, is estimated to have murdered 70 million of his own people. And Khan, the founder of the Mongolian Empire in the 12th century, is estimated to have killed as many as 70 million. By comparison, Hitler murdered approximately 10 million people during the time of the Holocaust, including six million Jews.

Why is Hitler considered to be the ultimate wicked ruler, despite the fact that other evil rulers have existed who killed millions more than the fuhrer? Because Hitler's crimes were exposed to the world whereas the crimes of others weren't. Stalin and Mao committed mass murder behind the formidable Iron Curtain of Communism while Khan committed genocide in the 12th century, long before the age of electronic information, cameras, satellites, television and the world media.

But even though Hitler may have been a proverbial piker in comparison to other historic mass murderers, he was certainly typical of them. In what way? He was a classic con artist who had the gift of hypnotic speech. He had the ability to sell flood insurance to desert nomads and he knew how to captivate his audiences. 

After Germany suffered a humiliating defeat in World War I, her economy tanked and went into a deep depression. Though much of that economic morass was due to huge reparations Germany was forced to pay France and Great Britain after the war, according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler blamed the Jews for causing Germany's defeat and ruining that nation's economy. Though no evidence existed to back up his claim, Hitler realized that anti-Semitism was a valuable tool in building the foundation for his political empire.

Many elderly Germans who are still living that survived Hitler's reign of terror claim that if they had known beforehand what Hitler was really all about before he was elected as Germany's Chancellor in 1933, they would've done everything in their power to stop him. While that sounds reasonable, that's hogwash. Hitler's bizarre ideas and plans to commit genocide against the Jews and other ethnic groups were well known long before he was elected in 1933. He revealed them in his infamous book titled, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) that was published eight years before he became Germany's Chancellor. 

Hitler was no mystery man to the German people. His evil plans were well known for a long time prior to his ascendancy to political power. And yet the German people ignored his evil because he was a gifted speaker and an extremely likable person.

Does that sound familiar? It should. Despite the fact that he is a Marxist and a pathological liar with few--if any--political accomplishments, Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. presidency in 2008 and reelected in 2012. Why? Because many people who voted for him admitted that they found him extremely likable. They didn't care about his dearth of accomplishments; his murky past, his socialism and his disdain for the U.S. Constitution--they voted for him because they found him extremely charming and attractive.

When historians write America's epitaph, they will inevitably realize that America's demise began with every republic's demise--ignorance and apathy. Ignorance and apathy lead to stupidity. Stupidity leads to idolatry. And idolatry leads to the election of horrible political leaders who destroy their nations and plunge them into ruin, despair and poverty.

After that comes God's divine judgment. It's never too late to repent. But for America, time is quickly running out. As the Lord spoke to Israel through the ancient prophet Ezekiel, he speaks to modern America: "Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit." (Ezekiel 18:30-31)