Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

to witness that his behavior has been completely justified and that he alone and his
eloquence are to be thanked for saving religion of the Church. The public, as stupid as it is
forgetful, is, as a rule, prevented by the very outcry from recognizing the real instigator of the
struggle or else has forgotten him, and the scoundrel has to all intents and purposes
achieved his goal.
The sly fox knows perfectly well that this has nothing to do with religion; and he will silently
laugh up his sleeve while his honest but clumsy opponent loses the game and one day,
despairing of the loyalty and faith of humanity, withdraws from it all.
And in another sense it would be unjust to make religion as such or even the Church
responsible for the failings of individuals. Compare the greatness of the visible organization
before our eyes with the average fallibility of man in general, and you will have to admit that
in it the relation of good and evil is better than anywhere else. To be sure, even among the
priests themselves there are those to whom their holy office is only a means of satisfying their
political ambition, yes, who in political struggle forget, in a fashion which is often more than
deplorable that they are supposed to be the guardians of a higher truth and not the
representatives of lies and slander-but for one such unworthy priest there are a thousand
and more honorable ones, shepherds most loyally devoted to their mission, who, in our
present false and decadent period, stand out of the general morass like little islands.
No more than I condemn, or would be justified in condemning, the Church as such when a
degenerate individual in a cassock obscenely transgresses against morality, do I condemn it
when one of the many others besmirches and betrays his nationality at a time when this is a
daily occurrence anyway. Particularly today, we must not forget that for one such Ephialtes
there are thousands who with bleeding heart feel the misfortune of their people and like the
best of our nation long for the hour in which Heaven will smile on us again.
And if anyone replies that here we are not concerned with such everyday problems, but with
questions of principle and truth or dogmatic content, we can aptly counter with another
question:
If you believe that you have been chosen by Fate to reveal the truth in this matter, do so; but
then have the courage to do so, not indirectly through a political party-for this is a swindle;
but for today's evil substitute your future good.
But if you lack courage, or if your good is not quite clear even to yourself, then keep your
fingers out of the matter; in any case, do not attempt by roundabout sneaking through a
political movement to do what you dare not do with an open vizor.
Political parties have nothing to do with religious problems, as long as these are not alien to
the nation, undermining the morals and ethics of the race; just as religion cannot be
amalgamated with the scheming of political parties.
When Church dignitaries make use of religious institutions or doctrines to injure their
nation, we must never follow them on this path and fight with the same methods.
For the political leader the religious doctrines and institutions of his people trust always
remain inviolable; or else he has no right to be in politics, but should become a reformer, if
he has what it takes!
Especially in Germany any other attitude would lead to a catastrophe.
In my study of the Pan-German movement and its struggle against Rome, I then, and even
more in the years to come, arrived at the following conviction: This movement's inadequate
appreciation of the importance of the social problem cost it the truly militant mass of the
people; its entry into parliament took away its mighty impetus and burdened it with all the
weaknesses peculiar to this institution; the struggle against the Catholic Church made it
impossible in numerous small and middle circles, and thus robbed it of countless of the best
elements that the nation can call its own.
The practical result of the Austrian Kulturkampf At was next to
To be sure, it succeeded in tearing some hundred thousand members away from the Church,
yet without causing it any particular damage. In this case the Church really had no need to