The New Hunt for Missing Nazis – a Moral Dilemma

As most of us take pleasure in the endearing pictures of the Cambridge royal family taken last night as they left hospital, we do not wish to be reminded of the grimness of Nazi death camps nor that perpetrators of the mass killing of innocents many decades ago may be alive still, living free: the juxtaposition of these two news items is an example of life’s simultaneous contrasts, lights and shadows though one of the stories, understandably, has far greater prominence. In Germany, with the poster campaign to track down and bring to justice the last of the war criminals, launched by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in recent days, opinion is divided between those who think these Nazis should  be pursued however old they are, and those often younger Germans who believe the crimes occurred so long ago they are historical and not reflective of their present-day country. So, there is an argument for tolerance, and one for justice, and both positions have their place in spiritual law. One of the spiritual tenets says that the law of the land must be obeyed always, however much we dislike it, for it is community law and we are part of our community too: if the law is bad, it is for the community to change it not for us to defy it, and if we break the law, it is for the community to determine how we are treated, perhaps punished. Meanwhile, the key Principles of the New Consciousness teach about the importance of acceptance, of non-judgment, and of kindness in our conduct towards others and also to ourselves. I do not know if the wartime actions of these last lost Nazis were in breach of German law at the time, but it is likely that many of them were obeying orders which complied with an imposed national strategy of targeted genocide – and some of those sought did not commit murder at all. What would have happened to them if they had refused? Some young soldiers may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but have done their best within the limitations of their duties; by contrast, other men and women enjoyed the opportunity to impose sadistic cruelty and suffering on many in very terrible ways. The intervening years for these people may have been filled with remorse, or not, with community service, or not, with hedonism or with hardship, complacency or conscience, but to force them to a belated court of justice would open old wounds for many and bring great distress to their family and friends. If they have done wrong, their souls will know the judgment of karma, which is more powerful than any human court. When in doubt, I ask two questions: What would be kind? What would the Master Jesus do? And I get an answer, always. Who am I to judge?   [byline]]]>