Will Religion Survive WW3? – Krishna Venta (Lecture, 8/24/1948)

Opening Prayer

Now let us bow our heads just a moment in supplication unto God, to reveal to Him our love and obedience to His law.
O Great Supreme Infinite Intelligence, Master and Creator of this entire universe, as we come to Thee this night, we
come with open minds and open hearts, desirous to obtain the wisdom that Thou dost have for us. O Great God, Master
of this universe, we do not come to Thee with our trials and tribulations of the day. We will not ask Thee to help us with
our daily trials, because they are of our own making, and no one else is to blame; thus, it is up to us to overcome them.
We do know Thou didst give us the answers to all things by placing them in Nature. Didst Thou not say to us, “In the
laws of Nature is the answer to the Infinite. Take time and study them well”? The things that we ask of Thee, God,
are not of our own making, for Thou art the Creator of all things. When we come to Thee in supplication, we ask that
Thou wilt give us abundantly of Thy wisdom of love, that we might love one another and go forth daily, looking upon
others, forgetting ourselves, and realizing that they, too, have tribulations. If we had the understanding of Thy great
Universal Love, we could help them. We ask that Thou wilt give us abundantly of Thy wisdom of life, that we may know
what we are here for and obtain an understanding of the purpose of Thy laws. We ask that Thou wilt give us abundantly
of Thy wisdom of Creation. We will so much to know Thy handiwork and to understand it. We look at the flowers and
admire their beauty, yet how little we understand them. We look at the mountains, at the lakes, and at the sea—all
the beautiful handiwork of Thy Creation. We do not understand them, yet they are of Thy Creation. They were to
beautify the garden in which we are placed. We look at the stars in the heavens, and we cannot understand them,
for we are unable to reach out to them. We look at the sun. We know its tremendous strength, yet we do not understand
it. It, too, is of Thy Creation, O God, and we ask that Thou wilt give us that wisdom of Creation, so that we can take
better care of the garden of the small part of Thy Creation which is our habitation.

If we can gain the true understanding of love, of life, and of Creation, then we can go forth and be of much more help
to our fellow man. Then we can go forth and find happiness within ourselves. We shall not accept the sorrows, trials,
and tribulations, for we shall gaze upon the heavens and open ourselves to their greater glory. O God, look upon
Thy children gathered here. They have come to gain something their minds have been seeking, something for which
their hearts have been crying. Give to them according to their understanding, and lift them above the concept which
they now have, that they may come closer into the fulfillment of the greater Universal Laws. O God, I am not of myself,
but of Thee. This body that I carry is only a dwelling place in which I rest. My heart is Thy temple. My tongue speaketh
Thy words as Thou dost will to give them to Thy children. To those who are not here, may they, too, receive Thy
message. Wherever they may be on the face of this globe, whether they be great or small, regardless of denomination,
regardless of class or color, may those who are ready receive the message telepathically. May they sit in reverence
unto Thee, and in obedience to Thy laws, and remain forever with Thee. Amen. Amen. May I extend my appreciation
for your gathering here tonight, and under the Divine Guidance of God may I be worthy of His message, that I may
pass it on to those who are seeking so sincerely. For what I have to say tonight, dear children, be broad. Think deeply,
for it is of vital importance to every one of you. For a long period of time—yea, since nineteen hundred years ago
—man has been living under the law and the teachings that Christ gave. They have been desirous to follow in
obedience to the Commandments of God, and from the teachings of Christ, nineteen hundred years ago, a church
was formed—a church known as the Roman Catholic Church. That Roman Catholic Church was not the Catholic
Church we have today, as will be explained in lectures to come; yet it was founded by a group of Roman people
who were afraid of the Master. After the Resurrection of Christ, they began to fear that they would lose hold upon
the people in the Holy Lands.

They immediately set a church in order, and a controversy arose concerning whom they would place upon the pulpit.
Their conversation led to Peter, and one asked, “Was it not Peter, a disciple of Christ, who, when questioned concerning
his knowledge of Christ, said, ‘I know Him not,’ and denied Him thrice before the cock crowed twice?” Another replied,
“Aye, that is right.” They all finally agreed, “He is the man that we need in the pulpit, for we can control him, and we
can tell him what information to give to the people. He will represent Christ and officiate under our guidance.” But
when Peter was given authority of the pulpit, they could not control him, for he had learned his lesson. While he had
been under the influence of Jesus Christ, he had received much training. His denial of Christ made his heart bleed,
and he returned again to Christ’s teachings, becoming one of His most faithful servants. He then went forth to uphold
the laws and the teachings of Christ, regardless of circumstances. In the pulpit, he defied the Roman government
and taught the words of Christ. The Romans soon realized their mistake; then one day he disappeared from the
pulpit. Later, he was found crucified upside down. Another man took his place in the pulpit, and that man was a
dictator in the Holy Lands under the direct control of the Romans. When still a third person rose to power in the
church, the Romans were again rebuked. At this time, the church broke completely from the domination of the
Romans and ceased to be known as the Roman Catholic Church. It became the “Holy Catholic Church.” They
segregated themselves and refused outright to take orders from the Roman government. Later, others who had
slightly different beliefs concerning the teachings that were given broke away from this branch and formed a third
church. It became known as the “High Episcopal Church.” From that organization there was another division,
and a different church was formed, until today, spread throughout the world, there are 1,262 Christian beliefs,
all organized, all carrying charters, all striving to serve God diligently according to their understanding, and
all seeking the same goal. The only basic laws existing within every one of those churches, regardless of the
added phases of their creeds, are the Ten Commandments.

Those Ten Commandments are taught in every spiritual denomination that we have today. They are a living memorial
to the laws which were brought back to the people by Moses and revealed anew by Christ nineteen hundred years ago.
In the field of religion, many churches today have reached a time when man is rapidly turning away from the church.
He is not necessarily opposed to God. He believes there is a God, but he is rapidly losing his desire to attend church.
Comparatively few of the populace of America are churchgoers in the true sense. The majority go to church only
because of the prestige they receive, rather than for the message that is given. Now, if the church were right and
were teaching authoritatively, more and more people would return to the church and regain their faith in it. Apparently,
what has happened is this: the people who go to church—many who sincerely desire to receive the wisdom of God
—actually see their own brothers, who are members of that church denomination, going out into the world and
betraying their fellow man in business transactions, taking advantage of their sincerity and expressing prejudice,
malice, and hatred. These few sincere ones are bewildered, and they begin to doubt the church itself. So man
is turning away from the church today, and its doors may one day be closed. Let us ask one simple question:
Would Christ, in the world today, condemn the churches? No, He would not condemn any church. Why? Because
Christ is not in the world to condemn. He is in the world to awaken and revive the true teachings of God once given
from the pulpit and to open the church doors wider. It is entirely up to you whether you accept Christ’s teaching or
reject it, but one thing you should remember: when the Master was asked nineteen hundred years ago, “What are
the greatest commandments of all?” He said, “The first is, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul; and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Now, can
you truthfully say that you love your neighbor as you do yourself? Maybe you do. I cannot say. When I converse with
people, however, I find that they are confused. They quarrel and argue within themselves. They cannot get along
even with themselves. I wonder, then, if that is not the same type of love which they express toward their fellow man.

We cannot return to God so long as we live in that dogma. We must cultivate understanding. We must cleanse our
own house first. Let us not make of it a closet filled with trash. Let us constantly discard the old to make place for
the new, and in so doing we shall gain great understanding. Then, out of the abundance of our love will come a
great strength that will fortify us against the conditions of destruction. Thou art blessed above all children, if you
didst only know. My lecture tonight deals with the question, “Will Religion Survive World War III?” Many people do
not care; they are not too interested in religion now, because the church doors are still open and there is yet a
certain degree of spiritual understanding in America. They still have the freedom to follow the dictates of their
own conscience; therefore, they are satisfied. I wonder, though, how happy they would be if they had to face
the regime in Russia today, where religion has been condemned and God is a lost word. The people of Russia
have already lost their religious freedom. If the populace of America were to lose their religious freedom, what
would they do? They probably would not do anything, but they would be very unhappy. Why would they not do
anything? Because a gun speaks with destruction, and man is afraid to lose his life in exchange for his loyalty
to God. If a squadron of soldiers stood before the church doors and gave orders that none should enter under
penalty of death, man would turn and walk away. Your church doors would be closed. Now, children, I plead with
you. I pray with you now to become the torchbearers in the army of Christ. Go forth daily, striving to revive among
the people an interest in the return of the Savior and in the return to religion itself. If we do not, the people of
America will lose their most cherished right—the right to worship God as they will. We are facing a great catastrophe.
It is a long story, but I shall strive to reveal it just slightly to you.

Before I begin, however, I must express something openly to all of you. I am not a Communist. I am not a Democrat.
I am not a Republican. I am not a Socialist. I am not a party to any of the organized political movements today. I
belong to no organization, no cult, no creed. I love every mortal who walks the face of this globe, whether he is black
or white; whether he is a member of any one of the organized denominations or cults. I love him whether he is a
murderer or a saint, for I came into the world to help those who could not help themselves. I will work with them
as my Father has directed. I have sheep in many fields and of every fold. I have those in America who are believers
in God and who are striving to follow the Commandments, and I have those in America who do not care to follow
them. Across the sea, in England, I have those few who are sincere and who are striving to follow the Commandments.
I have found them in Germany; I have found them in Russia; I have found them among the Mongolian race; I have
found them in India, in China, in Japan, in South Africa—yes, even in the Congo jungle. They are all my children,
and if I were to bind myself to any organization, cult, or creed, I would defeat the cause, for God does not uphold
organizations. All mankind is God’s organization, and it cannot be divided. Those who are in the service of God do
not form organizations, because truth cannot be organized, neither can i be controlled. Truth is free to flow to any
part of the globe wherever there is a mortal being. Truth does not have to be spoken by word of mouth. Truth is
in the air. Truth is of God, and truth can reach the lowest barbaric person or the highest saint. It cannot be hidden.
It cannot be shut out from even the worst of criminals. Therefore, why should I organize a group for truth’s sake?
Truth may be found in any denomination that we have in the world today. It is a foolish people who will blaspheme
the churches because they are not members of those churches. If you are a child of God, you shall not condemn
any religion that is on the face of the earth today. Rather say, “There is good in all denominations.” Then, my
children, you are beginning to have understanding.

You are beginning to grow in the spiritual law, for you are beginning to love one another and to be tolerant. So you
can dispose of religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political prejudice, personal prejudice, and all the others. There
are so many evils to be overcome. Obey first the Commandments of God. Christ, as He stood before the people
nineteen hundred years ago, and as He stands before the people today, does not condemn anyone. Condemnation
is not His mission. Only One has the right to judge; only One has the right to condemn, and that is God. Yet God,
in all of His great glory in the creation of the universe, condemns no one. Man judges himself. If you desire to work
in the army and follow the teachings of the Messiah today, then give yourself over to Him and go into all the world
and uphold the laws and teachings of the Church, for if you do not, you are going to lose your own religious freedom.
Not so long ago, a dictator named Hitler rose to power. The first thing this dictator did was confuse the people
concerning spiritual teachings. Then another, named Mussolini, came into power. He also taught confusion, and
as a consequence, two races of people—the Germans and the Italians—suffered bitterly. Had the Church been
faithful to its mission of teaching the Commandments and adhering to them strongly enough, such dictators could
never have risen to power. Then there is another country—the largest one in the world today. It is Russia. The
youth of Russia have abolished religious freedom, and no one is allowed to worship God. They say, “Down with
God.” This is blasphemy against God and leads to the path of destruction. If anyone in your midst does not
recognize God, he has no conscience; therefore, he can be as destructive as he wishes without fear of punishment.
In America, the people are divided under the leadership of two gods—the great God who created the universe,
and the god of power called democracy. The law of the land says, “You must pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States, and to the country for which it stands.”

This implies that all under that flag must fight to defend it, if necessary. Under the spiritual laws, you make another
pledge of allegiance to God—a pledge to obey His Commandments. One of His Commandments states, “Thou
shalt not kill.” Which of the two are you going to follow? If by destruction and bloodshed we could bring a lasting
peace to the world, then I would say, “Go to it, children,” but that cannot be. Every person destroyed in the field
of battle leaves behind a family or friends filled with malice, prejudice, and hatred; and sooner or later that hatred
becomes so intense that it explodes. Then again, more people will be sent to war. From the time of Cain and Abel,
there have been wars. Then only two warred against each other. Unto this day, however, in each twenty- to thirty
-year period, a great war has taken place. Then after twenty or thirty years, the victor is challenged. In turn, that
victor becomes the defeated, and another victor rises to power. It is merely a change of victors for a short period
of time. Never once has it brought a lasting peace, my children. When and how are we going to master this problem
unless we return to the army of Christ and follow Him? So I want to bring you a law that is in effect today. It had its
origin nineteen hundred years ago at the time of the Crucifixion and was given as a guide to man until the Second
Coming of Christ. Since that time, many nations have risen up. Many countries have divided and formed their own
governments; then they began to fight among themselves. One country fell into the hands of another until today
we have, in reality, only two great divisions of power. One is the United States with her nineteen American republics;
and the other is Russia and her satellites. As you read the papers daily, you find a tremendous increase of prejudice
and hatred against Russia on one side and against America on the other. This propaganda has become one of the
most notorious two-edged swords ever to take possession of the human race. That sword is cutting deeply into the
hearts of men. It is destroying our love and planting seeds of hatred. Sooner or later, that sword must pierce so
deeply that death will be the reward—death to one nation and mortal injury to the other. Will religion survive World
War III? Let us follow this and see. We have in the Western Hemisphere America, with seven percent of the world’s
population. We have already used seventy percent of her natural resources.

We possess approximately one percent of the uranium supply of the world, which is essential for the production of
atomic power if it is to be used for destructive purposes. There is a decided infiltration of Communism in America,
which is extremely powerful. We have another infiltration—the infiltration of racial prejudice, a prejudice between
Blacks and Whites—which is leading to the downfall of America. Instead of uniting her millions of people, the United
States is succeeding in separating them into classes and races. This is wrong. Russia, on the other hand, is cementing
her people together. Already she has proclaimed herself an independent nation striving for power, and she boasts
that by 1955 she will have fifty men under arms for every one in the American Army. It is self-evident that she is
building strength to fight America with blood weapons. She will not stop, nor will the war leaders of America stop,
until they clash to prove once again the great victor of the world. Russia will control the Eastern Hemisphere, and
America will hold only partial control of the Western Hemisphere. America cannot bring under her control all of the
nineteen American republics. Argentina is opposed to America and will not lend her support in time of war; neither will
Venezuela nor Mexico. Many armaments at the present time are being shipped out of the United States, subversively,
and stored away in Mexico for future use against the American people. We cannot count on Cuba nor Nicaragua, and
thus you see America is not so strong as she would lead you to believe. On the other hand, Russia has a powerful
and indomitable race of people. They have no conscience to deal with in their activities. Russia, a short time ago,
openly proclaimed death to any individual who taught racial prejudice within her territory. Russia is striving to enforce
a law that forbids racial prejudice. She has a reason behind that. She knows the weak link in America is racial
prejudice—the prejudice between Blacks and Whites. At the present time, communist activities in America are
penetrating deeply into the Black community. Black people are not aware of it, but right now in the Deep South
they are striving to gain their independence by demanding the right of equal suffrage with Whites.

In 1965 there will be a racial war in America—a racial war between Blacks and Whites. We do not like this, but it is
coming, and we are doing nothing to prevent it; in fact, look at what we are doing. We have as candidates for our
next national presidential election: Dewey on the Republican ticket, President Truman on the Democratic ticket,
Norman Thomas on the Socialist ticket, and Henry Wallace as a third-party nominee. The Deep South does not like
any of them and is opposing each vigorously. In fact, they plan to choose a candidate of their own. If that happens,
and this candidate gains enough votes in the South, the South will break from the Union and set up a government
of their own. Thus, racial prejudice will cause a civil war, and Russia will offer her assistance to Black people. Already
she is opening Siberia for Black people to enter her borders and allowing them to maintain a government of their own,
so long as they produce food from the soil and bring forth minerals. Many are being attracted by such an offer. Later,
they will come to America and spread propaganda among Black Americans. Many will accept this and go to Russia
—but they do so at their own risk. When the final climax of battle comes, Russia will withdraw all rights from them
and enslave them, as they intend to enslave the rest of the world. So we cannot allow racial prejudice to continue in
America if we plan to keep America free from foreign dictatorship. Russia is planning to be ruler of the world. She is
preparing for it today.

Beginning in 1965, when we have the struggle between Blacks and Whites in America, Russia will find America in
a very weak condition, and she will begin striking at the cause. The United States cannot fight back because she
will not have the strength. Russia will take religious freedom from the American people and will turn the churches
into places of barter. No minister will speak from the pulpits. In the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew, it is written
that when they came to show Him the temple, Christ said, “Verily, I say unto you, there shall not be left here one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” We are coming to that today. We are not upholding the church,
and we are not fighting for its maintenance. Will religion survive World War III? The many different denominations
we have in the world today will not survive World War III. The doors of their churches will close, but it does not
mean that religion itself will not survive. Why will religion survive World War III? This is why: Christ is in the world
today. Christ is gathering the Elect among men together. The Elect will be 144,000 people. Those 144,000 will
gather into one unit and will separate themselves from the political squabbles of the world. They will go into a
valley of their own, located in America, and there take up their abode. They will not be dependent upon any country.
In that valley, the 144,000, with Christ as their leader, will be without guns or protection, save the truth of God.
Those Elect are the Lambs of God and will follow the Shepherd, who is the Messiah. At the end of the third great
war in 1975, Russia will be the ruler of the world. She will take religious freedom and all rights from the people.
She will enter the valley of the 144,000. Her sentries will find no arms, no ammunition—no weapons of destruction
of any kind. They will be met by a group of people who love them, people who understand why these things must
come to pass. These armed sentries will be welcomed with love and compassion. They will wonder what manner
of people these Elect are. They will return to their leaders and report that these people have no guns, no ammunition,
and are very loving and kind.

The Russian leaders will say, “If they have no ammunition nor guns to protect themselves, they certainly cannot harm
us. Let them alone.” Why will they say, “Let them alone”? The Russians have been trained, the same as Americans, to
protect themselves with guns. I say there is a greater law of protection, and it is the laying down of arms and ammunition.
The 144,000 will do so. After forty years of slavery under the Russian government, the American people will remember
that they once belonged to a religious denomination and how their religion had been taken away from them. At the
opportune moment, the 144,000 Elect, under the divine guidance of Christ, will leave the valley en masse and go
forth into all the world to teach religious freedom once again. When these 144,000 go out of the valley to teach the
Word of God—with no arms, no ammunition, no means of protection save the cloak of God—a few of them will lose
their lives in the service of God. They will be shot down without cause and without any possible chance to protect
themselves. This is also in the plan. They will know it in advance, but the result will be that the people who once
worshiped God in freedom will rise up to join this army of 144,000, and together they will make war against the
Beast of Destruction, and they shall overthrow the Beast. Religious freedom will again return to all races of people.
They will then forget that they were of different denominations and will join the army of Christ. Before this, however
—and this is the strange part of it—while you have the chance to do so now, you probably will not do it. You will
continue to turn your ear away; you will continue to disobey, and for that reason these things must come to pass.
If you could believe now and would follow that great army of Christ today, you could ward off that great calamity.
Let us look at it sensibly. Let us put two and two together and see if it equals four. Suppose that every person in
America refused to fight with blood weapons. Everyone laid down his arms. Every type of armament was destroyed,
and everyone refused to fight any aggressor. Everyone believed in God and upheld the Commandments.

You would then be left vulnerable for any country in the world to take over, would you not? Let us say, then, that Russia
came in and took over America. You would not like that, so what would you do? You would not rise up to fight them with
weapons, for you would have none. You would go on a mass sit-down strike, refusing to take orders from the Government
of Russia. Russia could not kill off 143,000,000 people, could she? She would not even think of it. If you sat down under
the protection of the laws of God and said, “We shall not work under your dictatorial government, nor shall we rise up
to fight you with blood weapons,” the Russians would find a greater foe than they had ever encountered before. Russia
would not be able to take control. What good is a vanquished country to a victorious one if the people in it cannot be
controlled? Now, what do you think? Can you not carry the cloak of God around you and win a greater battle without
bloodshed and hatred? Think, children, think of your Leader. What would Christ do? I ask you simply and sincerely.
Let us suppose, for instance, that Christ came just as you had expected Him—out of the clouds, out of the glory of
heaven—and every one of you recognized Him beyond a doubt. You came, then, to ask Him regarding the conditions
in Russia and the war. I wonder whether Christ would say to you, “Yes, my children, arm yourselves. Go out and kill
them”; or would Christ’s answer be, “Lay down your arms and fight in the army with Me”? Use your own judgment.
Now I pray and I plead with every one of you, dear children. I am not a minister. I am not an individual who is trying
to get you to join my organization, because I have no organization. I have never taken out a charter. I have been told
that I should. Government officials have said that I must take out a charter, but I have refused. Why should I have to
take out a charter to teach the Word of God? If I be the Messenger of God, man may come to me and say, “By what
authority do you obtain this?” My answer is, “I receive authority from God directly.” The authority is given to me through
God so long as I serve Him. The minute I do not serve Him—by showing hatred to my fellow man—that authority is taken
from me. I do not have to go to school to gain this knowledge. I have been in this world a long time, and in my service
I have been as I am now. As Christ taught nineteen hundred years ago, “Love ye one another,” so am I today saying, “
Love ye one another as I love thee, and as God loves thee.”

I plead with you, rise. Throw down your arms; cast out the hatred in your heart; pick up your staff and follow me, and I
shall lead you into the valley of peace and protection, where no man shall touch you, where no one can destroy your
life, for you will be protected with the cloak of God. The knowledge of truth will set you free. Remember, “The Voice”
loves you and is one among you, humbly striving to serve you. I do not place myself above you. I do not desire to place
myself in authority over you, nor do I expect you to place authority over me. There is only One who has the right to
place authority. He is God, who created us all. Rise and join the army with me, where freedom is of more value than
bloodshed. My dear children, it is my wish to serve you so long as you desire to have me. So long as you are seeking
wisdom, I am the one who can give it to you. May I be of service to you and be with you until you want me no longer.
I ask sincerely, children, that you remember “The Voice” to your people, to your friends, and to your acquaintances. Let
them know of “The Voice.” Tell them “The Voice” speaks of things concerning God, that “The Voice” desires only to be
known as a Messenger of God—a messenger who goes forth among His children to help them gain a greater spiritual
understanding. I am striving with every ounce of my being to be of service to you—a service that will help you gain
understanding.

Closing Prayer by “The Voice”:

O Great Supreme, Infinite Intelligence, we are thankful to know the Truth and to serve Thee. We pray, O God, that
we may be able to serve Thee more sincerely and that we may lift our consciousness above the turmoil that faces
us in a material sense, so that we may join the great army of Thy Son. O God, look down upon Thy children and
bless them. Help them in their daily work. Take away their trials and tribulations when they call upon Thee. If they
do not call, it is not needed; but when they call, give them the wisdom that will smooth out their difficulties and protect
and guide them through their daily journey. Give them help, peace of mind, and happiness, for it is my will, as I am
Thy servant, O God. I bow my head humbly to show them my love, and I return them to Thee, O God, to serve
Thee daily. Amen. Amen.