Hitler's Table Talk

6O
THE NEEDS OF THE SOUL
stars are not sources of light but worlds, perhaps inhabited
worlds like ours, then the Christian doctrine will be convicted
of absurdity.
Originally, religion was merely a prop for human communities.
It was a means, not an end in itself. It's only
gradually that it became transformed in this direction, with the
object of maintaining the rule of the priests, who can live only
to the detriment of society collectively.
The instructions of a hygienic nature that most religions
gave, contributed to the foundation of organised communities.
The precepts ordering people to wash, to avoid certain drinks,
to fast at appointed dates, to take exercise, to rise with the sun,
to climb to the top of the minaret—all these were obligations
invented by intelligent people. The exhortation to fight
courageously is also self-explanatory. Observe, by the way,
that, as a corollary, the Mussulman was promised a paradise
peopled with houris, where wine flowed in streams—a real
earthly paradise. The Christians, on the other hand, declare
themselves satisfied if after their death they are allowed to sing
Hallelujahs! All these elements contributed to form human
communities. It is to these private customs that peoples owe
their present characters.
Christianity, of course, has reached the peak of absurdity in
this respect. And that's why one day its structure will collapse.
Science has already impregnated humanity. Consequently, the
more Christianity clings to its dogmas, the quicker it will
decline.
But one must continue to pay attention to another aspect of
the problem. It's possible to satisfy the needs of the inner life
by an intimate communion with nature, or by knowledge of the
past. Only a minority, however, at the present stage of the
mind's development, can feel the respect inspired by the unknown,
and thus satisfy the metaphysical needs of the soul.
The average human being has the same needs, but can satisfy
them only by elementary means. That's particularly true of
women, as also of peasants who impoter.tly watch the destruction
of their crops. The person whose life tends to simplification
is thirsty for belief, and he dimly clings to it with all his
strength.