The question of what Hitler was really trying to do has long fascinated political scientist Carlos Rizowy, and he propounds his controversial insights during his frequent public-speaking appearances, largely before Jewish groups.
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“As a Jew, I see the world as a fragmented thing, a collection of many pieces. “And it is my responsibility as a human being to thread the pieces together, to form a mosaic–without eliminating any of the pieces, without destroying anyone’s identity.” Christianity, he says, takes a more “homogeneous” view of the world, and its practitioners have attempted to impose their view of salvation on all humankind–by conversion if possible, but if not, by force or annihilation. If that sounds harsh, Rizowy falls back on history: Constantine’s “conversion” of the barbarian hordes, the Crusaders’ “holy wars” against the infidel, the Inquisition, and the regular pogroms and persecutions of the Jews, who refused to accept the one true message. Undeniably, the much-discussed doctrine that there is no salvation outside the church (held as a lateral truth for many centuries by Christians) is the source of much of Christianity’s historic missionary zeal as well as misguided fanaticism.
