Today we hear very often among Lithuanians especially the long skirted priests that Lithuania without Catholic faith would be without any organization and even would forget its own language. Not only faith but fanaticism is very essential to Lithuanians, it is a protection against our enemies who want to destroy Catholicism, while Catholicism is the strongest foundation of Lithuania. If at present Catholicism would be destroyed, Lithuanianism would collapse at once. The people would become cosmopolitan, they would be very easily converted into other nationality.

Let us examine closely such talk. Is not this beneficial to only one class under the cover of good intention for nationalism?

The question arises what were the benefits of strong faith and fanaticism when we look back to history we find the horrors of Catholicism in the Spanish inquisition that killed more than 100,000 people in a few years, and this was for the sake of merciful God. And let us add the men of science who were prosecuted, denounced and burned on the pyre. Let us remember the life of the first Christians and of the Christians of today-- or of a few centuries ago.

Do they or did they practice what they advocate -- love thy neighbor as thyself?

Where Catholicism had its power, like in Germany, France and Poland, people of those countries did not know what nationalism meant. Is this not a fact that Catholicism destroyed the independence of Poland and Ireland? Is this not 2 a fact that wherever Catholicism lost its power, like in France, Germany and England, than and only then, those countries made progress? What big industrial progress made England and United States, and why? Because those countries were not under the control of Catholicism. While Italy, is still in the depths of darkness, just because the is under the yoke of Catholic fanaticism.

In Lithuania the Catholic clergy did not care to educate the people, kept them in darkness. But when reformation arose, Lithuania began to teach Lithuanians to read prayers, not because the clergy cared to educate the people, but in order to stop Lithuanians from adopting the Lutheran faith.

Lithuania for the last five hundred years was ruled by Catholic clergymen. They brought slavery, exploitation and demoralization. That Catholicism is the most industrious is in manufacturing saints.

We must understand that only through science we will obtain freedom. We were long enough under the black skirt of fanaticism.