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Perhaps it will be interesting to put down the two extreme prophesies
that I heard about the future. The first represents the point of view
of some of the more determined and courageous pastors of the Protestant
church and is substantially as follows: "The struggle between the
government and the Protestant church will continue, and bids fair to be
more serious in the immediate future than it has been in the past.
(This prophecy has been fulfilled already.) The government will use
every means, honest and dishonest." At this point one of my informants
illustrated the methods of
the government by turning to a daily newspaper lying on his table and
showing me the government statement issued the day before that seven or
eight pastors had just been arrested. He then added that the number
arrested on that previous day was not seven or eight but forty-five.
"The government disposes of all the force and has nearly every other
advantage. However, we have one advantage. Our aim is a single one and
it will never change. The government has many changing aims. Therefore,
we shall finally win, but it will probably be my grandchildren who will
take part in the victory. Meanwhile there will be much persecution and
suffering, but in the history of the Christian church that has often
happened and we Christians have learned that the fate of the individual
is nothing compared with a principle."
 
 
 The second prophecy to which I have referred was given me by a
German now no longer in Germany, a few days after I had left the
country.
In his opinion the army could overthrow the government at any moment
without
difficulty, or with relatively little difficulty, if a few preparations
were
skillfully made. Secondly, the higher officers of the army despise the
Nazis
in general and dislike the present regime. Thirdly, the dominant
sentiment
in the army that prevents immediate action is the old tradition not to
mix