NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/sci/skeptic/21912

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From: [e-mail] (Jon Livesey)
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,alt.messianic,alt.atheism
Subject: Re: Will the -REAL- Christians please stand up? Was: What did Judas betray?
Date: 2 Jan 1993 02:13:03 GMT
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In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (John Ata - FSO) writes:
|> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Achim Stoesser) writes:
|> >
|> >- Hitler was Roman Catholic.
|>
|> His regime and his government, however, were not founded on
|> Christian values.  That is the point that was being made (although
|> I agree that Hitler's "religion" can cloud the issue).  I don't
|> know of any Christian denomination at the time of Hitler that
|> espoused the killing of non-Christians as even remotely following
|> Christ.  I won't even mention the superiority of one race over
|> another, etc.

This is highly misleading.   In reality, most of the mainstream
denominations in Germany expressed support for Hitler and for his
regime at some time or other.

The Catholic Bishops conference in 1933 "expressed joy that through
the new state Christianity had been promoted, morality improved, and
and the struggle against Bolshevism and godlessness condicted with
energy and success"

In the same year, 1933 "The Catholic Students Union hails the
National Socialist revolution as the greatest spiritual breakthrough
of our time".

In 1934, responding to an enquiry from the Ministry for Church
affairs, the Catholic Seamen's Mission listed the books and papers
they provided to seamen.   The list included Hitler's own anti-
semitic Mein Kampf, and the newspaper Volkischer Beobachter.

In 1936, the Bishops of Hannover, Wurtemburg and Bavaria signed
a statement that said in part "We, together with the Reich Church
Committee, stand behind the Fuhrer in the life-struggle of the
German people against Bolshevism.   In this struggle, the Church
mobilizes the forces of christian belief against unbelief."

In 1939, The Bishop of Hannover, Marahans, was one of the signers
of a statement that explained the need for the foundation of an
institute to "dejudaize" the Church.   "The foundation of this
institute is based on the conviction that Jewish influence in
all areas of German life, including therefore that of the Church
and religon, must be brought to life and eliminated."

At the outbreak of war, the Protestant bishops signed a statement
which read in part "So at this hour too we join with our nation
in intercession for the Fuhrer and the Reich...."

In November 1941, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rottenburg
wrote "The fact that so many believing soldiers are among the
lists of the fallen justifies the conclusion that it is above all
those soldiers with true Christian belief who have helped to win
the great victories."

It is also true that many individual Christians and Priests
resisted Hitler.  However, the Churches themselves gave their
followers a highly ambiguous and collaborationist message.

jon.