Asking god Quote by William W. Mishell
““Another letter complained about the soldiers suffering in Stalingrad, asking God why He let things like this happen to the brave German people. This letter was a classic. The godless barbarians who had forgotten the image of God in the hour of their victories, the murderers who were shooting tens of thousands of Jews and Russian prisons of without blinking an eye, suddenly now remembered that there was a God somewhere after all. Where was God when they were massacring innocent women and children in the forts of Lithuania, piling them on top of the other in huge mass graves? Why didn't they look up to Him at that hour? But at that time they were playing God themselves, with the lives of millions of "subhumans." Oh, how good it felt to hear a German Nazi clamour of God! God! This was our revenge. God was no in Stalingrad. This was the Ninth Fort for the Germans.””
About This Quote
Source Letter: Personal correspondence from a German soldier during WWII, 1944
The writer laments the absence of divine justice amid Nazi atrocities, using irony to highlight moral hypocrisy.
In simple terms: God seemed absent during horrific crimes.
Key Takeaway
Recognize moral responsibility beyond religious justification.
Themes
war
morality
hypocrisy
faith
justice
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- historical analysis
- ethical education
- memorial speeches
Key Concepts
theodicy
collective guilt
psychology of war
Questions to Reflect On
- How do societies reconcile faith with historical atrocities?
- Can moral accountability exist without religion?
A Different Perspective
The claim that God was absent may ignore human agency in evil.
