Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3455

3455 Responsibility for own thinking.... truth....

March 3, 1945: Book 45

Countless people on earth stand outside of truth, partly without, partly through their own fault. Many have been offered error and accepted it as truth without taking a mental stand on it, which the human being is obliged to do by God, for God gave him intellect and thus he can think and decide for or against what he is commanded. Yet many people act in the good faith that they are exempt from this scrutiny and therefore God meets them halfway and offers them the pure truth so that they should become suspicious and seriously weigh up what they have received against what is newly offered. Every human being must be responsible for his actions as well as for his thoughts, and consequently his thoughts must also have been developed within himself. Everything that is imparted to him must first have become his thoughts through his own reflection on it. If he has neglected to do this, i.e. if he has accepted unchecked what was offered to him by teachers, then he himself has remained inactive, and he must also answer for this, that he has left opportunities unused through which he could mature spiritually. But in order to be able to weigh up what corresponds to the truth, in order to reach inner conviction, he must first also have the desire to stand in the truth; and if he has this, then he also critically examines everything that is imparted to him. If he desires the truth, then he also desires God, Who is the eternal truth Himself.... And if he desires God, then he also stands in love, because God is love Himself. Thus the desire for truth absolutely has to fill the human being who strives upwards. And he will also be able to distinguish error from truth, for his thinking will not remain inactive.... The sincere person who strives towards God thinks about all problems which affect him, and his thoughts will be guided towards the truth by knowing forces of divine will. But anyone who does not think about the thoughts conveyed to him by human beings is also not seriously striving to come close to God. He is only connected to Him in word but not in spirit. For God Himself seizes people who earnestly seek Him, and He truly guides them right.... Error causes people great spiritual hardship, it puts them in serious danger of missing the right path to God. Error is spread under the cover of truth, and it is irresponsible of those who seek to spread error as truth of faith and want to prevent people from thinking for themselves through decrees and commandments.... Those are the most guilty, nevertheless, every individual person will also have to answer for himself, because God has given him the gift of intellect which he can and should use as soon as it concerns knowledge which is not only intended for earth but for eternity. Every human being is cared for by spiritual beings who are in light, i.e. in knowledge, and whose constant endeavour is to stimulate the human being to think about spiritual questions so that they can instruct him intellectually. No person is left out by the beings of light, and thus thoughts will arise in every person, doubts, questions or reflections about the knowledge which was offered to him as truth. And it is now up to the human being's will whether he takes up these thoughts, whether he processes them within himself or immediately rejects or eliminates them and thus deprives the beings of light of every opportunity to instruct him, to enlighten him about error and truth. But as soon as the human being believes himself to be bound by decrees and commandments, he still has the path to God Himself, asking Him for right thinking, for right faith and pure truth.... And God will never let such a prayer go unheard.... Yet it is difficult to help those who don't believe they need God, who value human commandments more highly and don't take refuge in the source of truth, which he, as a true child of the father, can and should do at any time without hesitation.... But God does not leave His creatures in adversity, even if they have created it themselves or caused it themselves. And where the human being's thinking fails of its own free will, He influences people in such a way that they are forced to think about it.... He lets earthly adversity come upon them which raises doubts in them in order to make them think. And then He sends His messengers to meet them, the bearers of truth in the beyond and on earth, who then convey the pure truth to them mentally or through human mouths.... And now people's mental activity will begin as soon as they desire the truth, and they will be able to separate truth from error, they will become knowledgeable as soon as they don't resist the divine gift of love, as soon as they open themselves to it and let it take effect on them.... And there will be light in them, for where truth is, there all darkness disappears....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers