Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Protocol 04

Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion

Protocol Number 4 : Materialism Replaces Religion

PROTOCOL NUMBER FOUR

1. Every republic passes through several stages.

The first of these
is comprised in the early days
of mad raging by the blind mob,
tossed hither and thither,
right and left:

the second is demagogy
from which is born anarchy,
and that leads inevitably to despotism
- not any longer legal and overt,
and therefore responsible despotism,
but to unseen and secretly hidden,
yet nevertheless sensibly felt despotism
in the hands of some secret organization or other,
whose acts are the more unscrupulous
inasmuch as it works behind a screen,
behind the backs of all sorts of agents,
the changing of whom
not only does not injuriously affect
but actually aids the secret force by saving it,
thanks to continual changes,
from the necessity of expanding its resources
on the rewarding of long services.

2. Who and what is in a position
to overthrow an invisible force?

And this is precisely what our force is.
Gentile masonry blindly serves
as a screen for us and our objects,
but the plan of action of our force,
even its very abiding-place,
remains for the whole people an unknown mystery.

WE SHALL DESTROY GOD:

3. But even freedom might be harmless
and have its place in the State economy
without injury to the well-being of the peoples
if it rested upon the foundation of faith in God,
upon the brotherhood of humanity,
unconnected with the conception of equality,
which is negatived by the very laws of creation,
for they have established subordination.

With such a faith as this
a people might be governed by a wardship of parishes,
and would walk contentedly and humbly
under the guiding hand
of its spiritual pastor
submitting to the dispositions
of God upon earth.

This is the reason why it is indispensable
for us to undermine all faith,
to tear out of the mind of the "goyim"
the very principle of God-head and the Spirit,
and to put in its place
arithmetical calculations
and material needs.

4. In order to give the goyim no time to think and take note,
their minds must be diverted
towards industry and trade.

Thus, all the nations
will be swallowed up
in the pursuit of gain
and in the race for it
will not take note of their common foe.

But again,
in order that freedom may once for all disintegrate
and ruin the communities of the goyim,
we must put industry on a speculative basis:
the result of this will be
that what is withdrawn from the land by industry
will slip through the hands
and pass into speculation, that is, to our classes.

5. The intensified struggle for superiority
and shocks delivered to economic life
will create, nay, have already created,
disenchanted, cold and heartless communities.

Such communities will foster a strong aversion
towards the higher political and towards religion.

Their only guide is gain, that is Gold,
which they will erect into a veritable cult,
for the sake of those material delights
which it can give.

Then will the hour strike when,
not for the sake of attaining the good,
not even to win wealth,
but solely out of hatred towards the privileged,
the lower classes of the goyim
will follow our lead
against our rivals for power,
the intellectuals of the goyim.