One of the ways in which Christianity has tried to distance itself from the Nazis is to focus on the pagan influences amongst the leaders of Nazism. Undoubtedly, there were such influences. As I mentioned before, however, this is akin to the Nuremburg defense. The fact that the leaders were less than purely Christian in outlook does not relieve their Christian followers of moral culpability--especially given that these Christian followers were the ones who committed the actual atrocities and did so eagerly with only a little encouragement from their leaders.
In addition, this is akin to the "no true Scotsman" logical fallacy in which a person argues that a perpetrator of bad acts could not have truly been a member of the group simply because his actions are inconsistent with the idealized view of the group. Thus, the bad acts are said not to reflect upon the group as a whole. Obviously, this is a "tails, I win; heads, you lose" argument. It is a circular argument in which the conclusion (no one in my group is bad) is taken as an immutable given.
Most Christians have their individual opinions about the particulars of their religion. In fact, no one person can define in detail what it means to be a Christian--though many claim to be able to do so. Thus, when a Christian does something very unpopular, the other Christians will argue that he wasn't "really" a Christian. In doing so, they will try to get everyone to focus their attention on the ways in which that individual differed from many other Christians--failing to mention that the same type of "distinctions" can be made about all Christians.
One of the most useful bits of "evidence" the religious have for this subterfuge is the Nazi symbol, the swastika. The swastika is an ancient symbol found in many cultures. So ancient, in fact, that its pagan origins are undeniable--it predates Christianity. This does not mean, however, that it was adopted as part of the Nazi's rejection of Christianity any more than the adoption of various pagan symbols used at Christmas and Easter mean that Christianity is pagan.
The swastika was simply an ancient good luck symbol. The word swastika came from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote good luck. It was adopted by some Christians just as were ancient fertility symbols--rabbits and eggs. In fact, the name for it in German is Hakenkreuz or "hooked cross".
To the best of our knowledge Hitler saw the swastika as a Christian symbol. Hitler's first encounter with the swastika was in his boyhood catholic school, which had it engraved on its wall in several places as part of its crest. (See Anna Elisabeth Rosmus, Out of Passau: Leaving a City Hitler Called Home, p. 35.)
Hitler's family moved to Lambach, Austria, in 1897. For several months Hitler attended a Catholic school there located in an 11th-century Benedictine cloister, where the walls were engraved in a number of places with crests containing the symbol of the swastika. It was in Lambach that the eight-year-old Hitler sang in the church choir and entertained the fantasy of one day becoming a priest.
Thus, if presented with this argument, one can say:
"There is no reason to believe that Hitler or the Nazis saw the Hakenkreuz as any less Christian than a Christmas tree."
or
"If the swastika proves the Nazis weren't Christian, then Easter and Christmas prove that the majority of those who call themselves Christian aren't Christian either."
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement II
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement III
In addition, this is akin to the "no true Scotsman" logical fallacy in which a person argues that a perpetrator of bad acts could not have truly been a member of the group simply because his actions are inconsistent with the idealized view of the group. Thus, the bad acts are said not to reflect upon the group as a whole. Obviously, this is a "tails, I win; heads, you lose" argument. It is a circular argument in which the conclusion (no one in my group is bad) is taken as an immutable given.
Most Christians have their individual opinions about the particulars of their religion. In fact, no one person can define in detail what it means to be a Christian--though many claim to be able to do so. Thus, when a Christian does something very unpopular, the other Christians will argue that he wasn't "really" a Christian. In doing so, they will try to get everyone to focus their attention on the ways in which that individual differed from many other Christians--failing to mention that the same type of "distinctions" can be made about all Christians.
One of the most useful bits of "evidence" the religious have for this subterfuge is the Nazi symbol, the swastika. The swastika is an ancient symbol found in many cultures. So ancient, in fact, that its pagan origins are undeniable--it predates Christianity. This does not mean, however, that it was adopted as part of the Nazi's rejection of Christianity any more than the adoption of various pagan symbols used at Christmas and Easter mean that Christianity is pagan.
The swastika was simply an ancient good luck symbol. The word swastika came from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote good luck. It was adopted by some Christians just as were ancient fertility symbols--rabbits and eggs. In fact, the name for it in German is Hakenkreuz or "hooked cross".
To the best of our knowledge Hitler saw the swastika as a Christian symbol. Hitler's first encounter with the swastika was in his boyhood catholic school, which had it engraved on its wall in several places as part of its crest. (See Anna Elisabeth Rosmus, Out of Passau: Leaving a City Hitler Called Home, p. 35.)
Hitler's family moved to Lambach, Austria, in 1897. For several months Hitler attended a Catholic school there located in an 11th-century Benedictine cloister, where the walls were engraved in a number of places with crests containing the symbol of the swastika. It was in Lambach that the eight-year-old Hitler sang in the church choir and entertained the fantasy of one day becoming a priest.
Thus, if presented with this argument, one can say:
"There is no reason to believe that Hitler or the Nazis saw the Hakenkreuz as any less Christian than a Christmas tree."
or
"If the swastika proves the Nazis weren't Christian, then Easter and Christmas prove that the majority of those who call themselves Christian aren't Christian either."
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement II
The Lie that Nazism Was an Atheistic Movement III
You're lying: it was a movement by a narcissist leader who openly endorsed a twisted version of God but privately supported atheism. You seem to be trying to make it a black and white issue. As far as the Christians who followed him, they would have entirely been Lutherans and Catholics or similar such Christians, in other words Arminians and earn-your-salvation with Christ's-help types, in other words, narcissistic Christians. And why would self-centered Christians so readily follow a narcissist? Figure it out.
ReplyDeleteLying? Really? Cite me one remotely credible source that disproves what I have written. You won't because you can't. Especially the part about privately supporting atheism. He did no such thing. The closest any religious person can come to "proving" this is the comments he made about the christian church of the 20th Century published in "Hitler's Table Talk". His comments amounted to no more than an assertion that christianity had gone off in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteThis is black and white. Mass murder is WRONG. There is no other way to see it.
So, that Hitler gave books away as gifts written by... NIETZSCHE means nothing :)
ReplyDeleteThat Hitler took the Bible completely out of context means nothing.
That Hitler persecuted Israel when the Bible makes it clear that whoever curses them will be cursed means nothing.
That politicians and leaders are known by at least the 40% that have common sense, for pandering and lying and being two faced, MEANS NOTHING?!
You're a gullible deluded idiot.
Well, I guess someone has been living under a rock lately. Those of us who are able to take in new information know that the recent Republican Vice-presidential candidate was a Roman Catholic (like Hitler) and made a habit of giving away copies of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged", a book of philosophy written by an atheist with an atheistic viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteWhy would a Catholic do that? Because he agreed with the other things she wrote in the book.
Does it mean he is secretly an atheist? Not a bit.
Don't even get me started on people taking the Bible out of context. Every single Christian I ever met did that.
As for persecuting Jews, Christians have been doing that for nearly 2,000 years. Hitler was just following what he was taught as a child going to Christian schools. As were his supporters. If they are to be cursed, it hasn't happened yet (other than being cursed with harmful delusions).
Yes, politicians and leaders are known for pandering and lying. This is especially true of religious leaders. When you understand that your reasoning applies to those whose teachings you follow, you will understand that Hitler was just hitching his wagon to a long train that was already moving in the direction he wanted to go: Christianity!