Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3618

3618 Free will decision.... church organisation....

December 2, 1945: Book 46

The human being's decision of will has to be made by himself, i.e. the human being's will cannot be directed by either good or evil forces but he can only be influenced by both sides to decide in one direction. And therefore the transmission of God’s word, of Christ's teaching, can only ever be regarded as an influence on a person, for it is up to him to decide whether to accept or reject it. And thus every ecclesiastical organisation can only ever be regarded as a means to guide the human will in the right direction; but it can never claim to be the aim of right thinking and will.... thus the purpose can certainly be achieved through membership of such an organisation but membership is never already evidence of a correctly directed will, which is why human striving has to start in every religious community itself to give the will the right direction. For the human being can fulfil all requirements imposed on him by an ecclesiastical organisation, but this can be education and habit where his own will is still switched off. It can be an outward observance of Christ's teaching, a fulfilment of duties which lack deep love, even though they are carried out out of obedience to the church. A right decision of the will demands a mental immersion in spiritual questions and only then a conscious opinion on them. Blind obedience, on the other hand, is not a decision of the will, it is rather a shutting out of free will and therefore cannot bring about any spiritual success. And therefore people are often forced to take a stand insofar as they are led into doubt by God's love as to the truth of what is presented to them. Again and again the word of God is brought to them so that they shall find contradictions between what Jesus Christ taught on earth and what an ecclesiastical organisation sometimes represents.... so that the contradictions will stimulate them to think and thus the activity of the will will lead to a free decision. For time on earth should not pass by unused, which, however, is the case when a person leaves spiritual knowledge unexamined, when he has been pushed into a school of thought and does not make any effort to examine it for its truth. No one can lay claim to unconditional attainment of aims by belonging to a church organization, his will must first have become active itself by mentally dealing with everything he is taught and again demanded of him.... And the word of God will always be his guide, he will learn to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world, he will be able to judge God's work and additional human work and then also decide correctly, as is his task on earth....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers