Know Your Enemy
https://archive.org/details/KnowYourEnemy_201604
CHAPTER VI WOTAN VERSUS CHRIST There is no doubt that a world dominated by Germany would suppress the Christian religion and introduce in its place the pagan German Wotan cult. The Christian moral principles and the doctrine of the German Master Race are irreconcilable. They cannot live side by side in the same world. In their attitude toward Christianity, as in so many fields, the nαzιs merely follow in the footsteps of the Pan- German movement of the last century. We shall illustrate this similarity by comparing quotations from the Pan-Germans with similar utterances of the nαzιs.
The Cross must fall 1898 "We have no place for a symbol of gentleness (the Christian Cross), but only for a symbol calling us to war, to defense; and I know of no better symbol than that of our Teutonic divinity Thor: the Hammer!" (Pan-German Magazine "Heimdall," 1898, page 123.)
1934 "We must never relax our efforts until Germany has been liberated from the Christian Cross." (Official nαzι publication "Nordland" 1934, No. 13.)
1936 "The Cross must fall if Germany is to live!" ("Durchbruch" (Break-Through) 1936, No. 31.)
1937 "Our task will not be completed until the day when we have triumphed over Christianity.” ("Durchbruch,” 1937, No. 6)
Christianity is Weakness 1910 "This idea of neighbourly love, developed in the bosom of the Church, has acted like poison on the German national consciousness.” ("Volkserzieher,” (The Educator of the People), 1910, No. 1.)
1924 "I think our decline has come because we have followed Christ and because we have lost our German soul, while trying to gain a Christian one.” (Ernst Wiechert, "Totenwolf,” 1924.)
1932 "Our entire German education must be based on the recognition of the fact that we do not owe our moral code to Christianity, but that Christianity owes its enduring values to the German character.” (Alfred Rosenberg, the principal theorist of the nαzι Party, "Der My thus des XX. Jahrhunderts,” (The Myth of the Twentieth Century, 4th ed., 1932, page 623.)'
"But today a new faith is awakening: the concept of the blood, the faith . . . that Nordic blood represents the mystery that has replaced and overcome the old sacraments.” (Alfred Rosenberg, ibid., page 129.)
1937 "Christianity no longer can help us; its aim is to make us gentle and meek again, so that we will drop our sword . . .” (Dr. Jankow Janeff, "Heroismus und Weltangst,” (Heroism and Cosmic Fear), 1937.)
The nαzιs — even as the Pan-Germans before them — have tried to deal with Christianity in two different ways. They either attack it outright, or they endeavour to adulterate it into a Germanic religion. The new German mysticism thus falls into the wiliest confusion: at times Christ is reviled and rejected as the Son of the Jєωιѕн God, while on other occasions He is claimed as an Aryan and as the Germanic hero of an exclusively German religious mysticism.
The German “Krist”1913... the Krist (the orthography is ’racially pure’) and Father Wotan get on well together! . . . The Krist is Father Wotan’s heart.” ("Volkserzieher,” (The Educator of the People), 1913, page 47 — quoted in “Thus Speaks Germany,” page 7.)
Reich-Bishop Mueller and Valhalla 1935 "Holy Writ, as a human and typical period docuмent, is so relative that, instead of Heaven, you may sometimes just as well say Valhalla.” (Reich-Bishop Mueller in a lecture at the Lessing Academy, Berlin, February 13, 1935.)
Der Deutsche Gott — The German God "Either a German God, or none at all! The international God of Christendom is a patron of the Treaty of Versailles.” (Ernst Niekisch, Independent Socialist in Bavaria, 1923, quoted by Aurel Kolnai, "The War,, Against the West,” London, 1938, page 233.)
1939 "I am tempted to believe rather in a Germanic God than a Christian one.” (Dr. Goebbels, Reich- 50 Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment, speech in Cologne, May 19, 1939.)
The German Spirit of Christ 1914"It is true that our soldiers in France and Belgium have shot all the brigands, men, women, and children, and that they have destroyed their homes. But to see in that anything contrary to Christian teaching is to show that one has not the least understanding of the spirit of Christ.” (From an article in the leading liberal newspaper of Berlin, “Vossische Zeitung,” 1914, quoted in ’’Paroles allemandes,” Paris, page 134.)
God in the German Army 1915 ’’Just as God has revealed himself in the German people, so He now reveals himself in the German Army.” (’’Volkserzieher,” (The Educator of the People), 1915, No. 10.)
1915 ”Jesus of Nazareth would be right in front, in the first ranks of the sword-bearers who are fighting with implacable hatred. That is where he would be, and he would bless the bleeding hands and the death-dealing weapons, would perhaps himself grasp a sword of judgment and drive the enemies of the Germans farther and farther from the frontiers . . (Volkserzieher, (The Educator of the People), 1915, No. 10 .)
1940 “God Almighty stands and falls with Germany’s mighty armies . . (“Deutscher Weckruf,” official organ of the nαzι Bund in New York, October 10, 1940.)
Germany needs a new God! "We want no God except Germany itself.” (Adolf Hitler, as quoted by the Catholic newspaper "Bay- rischer Kurier,” (Bavarian Courier) for May 25, 1923.)
"In the eyes of its believers, National-Socialism is a religion. The National-Socialist movement is today the political church of the German nation.” (Dr. Goebbels, in a speech given in Danzig on May 9, 1937.)
"We call ourselves German pagans . . . We no longer believe in the Holy Ghost — we believe in our holy blood.” (From the Articles of Faith of the Hitler Youth Organization, quoted in "Kieler Hochschulblaetter der Christlichen Welt,” (Academic News of the Christian World), Kiel, for March 26, 1935.)
"In National Socialism the Movement of the German Liberation has revealed itself to us. We stand ready to proclaim our faith in it, even were it to be led in the name of the Devil.” (Pastor Mattias of Kerstlingerode, quoted by Edgar A. Mowrer in "Germany Puts the Clock Back,” London, 1933, 10th ed., page 158.)
“God has revealed Himself in Adolf Hitler"
"Not in Jesus Christ, but in Adolf Hitler has God revealed Himself.” (Reich-Vicar Engelke, assistant of Reich-Bishop Mueller, in an address in March, 1937, reported in "Deutscher Weg,” (The German Way), May 30, 1937.)
"The German teacher must firmly believe in the permanence and holiness of our Reich ... In Adolf Hitler, God has revealed Himself to us.” (nαzι-Educator Niemeyer, in a speech before the National-Socialist Teachers’ Organization in July, 1937.)
"We believe that the Lord God has sent us Adolf Hitler, so that Germany may be established for all eternity.” ("Schulungsbrief,” (Instruction Letters), April, 1937.)
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The way has been shown us by the Fuehrer.” (Deacon Eckert, Sermon at Berlin-Tegel, February 10, 1935.)
God sent us Hitler! "Hitler was sent to us by God so that Germany may endure through all eternity ... We believe in Adolf Hitler alone on this earth, we know that National-Socialism is the only faith that can lead our people to salvation.” (Radio address of Labor Leader Dr. Robert Ley, reported in the newspaper "Duesseldorfer Nachrichten,” February 11, 1937.)
"Hitler has revealed to use the true meaning of religion. He has come to us to renew the faith of our fathers and to make new men of us.” (Hans Kerri, Reich-Minister of Churches, in an address reported in the newspaper "Frankfurter Zeitung,” November 20, 1935.)
A systematic campaign is being conducted to make Germany’s youth regard Christianity as worthless and uproot the last remnants of Christian thinking from their hearts. A concerted effort is made to befoul every Christian idea, make it the butt of ridicule and to debase everything that Christians hold sacred.
The “Satanic Bible"1921Tear up that lewd Satanic Bible, the Old Testament!" ("Voelkischer Beobachter," August 11, 1921.)
1935 "The Bible is the trashiest of literature." (Reich- Governor Roewer, in a speech at a meeting in Oldenburg, April 9, 1935.)
nαzι “Historical Research produces Blasphemy "According to the nαzι magazine ‘Heimdall,’ the father of Christ was a Germanic official of the Roman Empire. Transferred to Palestine for a short time, he won the love of Mary. Their brief relationship was not without its consequences. Mary’s parents were delighted to find an elderly man, by the name of Joseph, who was ready to marry the pregnant maiden. Thus Jesus was only the foster son of Joseph. He had inherited the outward appearance of His Germanic father, but innerly His characteristics were those of a crossbreed: His nature was restless, brooding, self- tormenting, idealistic and overwrought. Jesus admired the Aryans as the race which exemplifies a chosen people to a greater degree than do the Jews.” (Re- ported in the independent Swiss newspaper, "National Zeitung," Basle, July 21, 1935.)
"The field-grey soldier throwing the last hand grenade, the dying Storm-Trooper whose last word is a call to the Fuehrer, are for us presentations of the divine, much more genuine than is the crucified Jew." (From the German newspaper "Coburger Beobachter," May 13, 1935.)
The Gospel is fulfilled . . . "The idea that Jesus Christ is the Son of God can no longer be maintained ... We must preach in our sermons that the gospel has found its fulfillment in Hitler ... In any case National Socialism is the fulfillment of the Christian message." (Reich-Minister of Churches Hans Kerri, in an address to the delegates of Confessional Churches, February 12, 1937.)
"He rose long ago from the old Jєωιѕн hordes
And was crucified by Roman Aryan (!) lords.
Today, as our Savior Hitler commands
We now to our swastika nail Jesus’ hands."
(From a song-book of the Hitler Youth, quoted in the French periodical, "Revue des Deux Mondes," June 16, 1933.)
“Hitler is greater than Christ"In centuries to come, if our word today is judged by the proper criteria, it will be said, in retrospect: Christ was great, but Adolf Hitler was greater." (From an address of District Leader Willi Becker, reported in the newspaper, "Frankfurter Zeitung," October 20, 1935.)
"It is only on one or two exceptional points that Christ and Hitler stand comparison, for Hitler is far too big a man to be compared with one so petty." (District Governor Julius Streicher, in a speech be- fore the German Academy of Education in Munich, July, 1935.)
“We must smash Christianity!""Who was greater, Christ or Hitler? At the time of His death Christ had twelve disciples who did not even remain loyal to Him. Hitler, however, has a nation of seventy million behind him today. We cannot permit another organization, one filled with a different spirit, to exist side by side with us. We must smash it. National-Socialism commands in all seriousness: I am the Lord thy God — thou shalt have no other gods beside me!” (SS Division Leader Schulz, 55 in an instruction course given for theological students at Croessinsee, Pomerania, August, 1936.)
"Hitler is lonely. So is God. Hitler is like God.” (Reich-Minister Hans Frank, quoted by Professor Frederick L. Schuman, in his book: "Hitler and the nαzι Dictatorship," London, 1936, page 365.)
"20,000 storm troopers addressed their prayers to the Fuehrer." (From a report in the official organ of the Storm Troopers: "Der SA-Mann," (The Storm Trooper), August 21, 1937.)
It is hardly necessary to comment specifically on these hate-filled and blasphemous utterances against the Christian doctrine. Special emphasis should be given, however, to the systematic persecution of Christians. Soon after they came to power, the nαzιs set out to destroy Christianity by closing churches, staging mass-arrests of priests and nuns and ministers on morals charges, assaulting clergymen and churchgoers, prohibiting church newspapers, agitating for mass-resignations from the church, and forcing or persuading the youth to stay away from the church services. In a number of cases the nαzιs did not stop at the assassination of ministers and the burning of churches. The fury of the nαzιs against the Christian Church represents, in addition to the horrors in the cσncєnтrαтισn cαмρs and the regime of terror in the occupied countries, a particularly shameful chapter of German history under nαzι rule. Since 1934 the persecution of the Christian faiths in Germany has been the subject of numerous books with a wealth of facts and docuмents, from the hands of Protestant and Catholic authors.
Today it is a fact that on account of the systematic anti-Christian propaganda, considerable portions of the German people, among them the overwhelming majority of the German youth, have been alienated from the Christian Churches.