COMMENT:Was the occult a major factor behind the rise of Adolf Hitler? Journalist Ken Anderson analyzes claims made by historian Trevor Ravenscroft and others that the Holy Lance, which is said to have pierced the side of Christ, took center stage in Hitler's life and was the focal point of his ambitions to conquer the world. (The legend associated with the spear is that whoever claims it, and solves its occult secrets will rule the world and shape destiny for good or ill.) In addition to pointing out the flaws in this theory, Anderson questions the truth of the biblical story of the lance. Was there some meaning behind the flight of Hitler deputy Rudolf Hess to Britain? What of Hitler's supposed extrasensory perception? His choice of the swastika as the Nazi symbol? And what are we to make of the "superman" who haunted the Fuhrer, the use of Nostradamus' prophecies in propaganda, the way Americans were taken in by the astrological propaganda war, and strange similarities between Hitler and Charlie Chaplin? Anderson offers rational explanations for these alleged "strange" events and powers, demonstrating that they cannot be attributed to Hitler.
