Upon listening to this discussion, much of the basis of what this...
Völkisch Spirit ᚾ@Ehrenkrieg2
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Jan 11, 2025
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Upon listening to this discussion, much of the basis of what this person relies upon is "actions" by Hitler to keep Christianity via the national reich church. However, when we look at the primary sources we can see that this isn't what Hitler truly wanted and actually opposed it later on.
Let's go over a number of contemporary documents on the matter: 🧵
Let's go over a number of contemporary documents on the matter: 🧵
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Rudolf Hess informed Herman Goering in a letter that Hitler no longer wanted to pursuit the national reich church and Hess even stated that Christian education should absolutely not be synthesized with National Socialist doctrines:
"The Führer has not only given up the original plan of creating a Reich Church, he now rejects this plan completely. On the other hand, if an attempt were made to find a synthesis for each of the Christian doctrines with the principles of the National Socialist worldview, this would by no means end the dogmatic dispute currently existing among these various Christian groups. [...] teachers who agree to give such [religious] instruction must be required to present such instruction as "biblical instruction" and not as National Socialist instruction, or even to seek a synthesis in the instruction between the teachings of the Bible and the principles of the National Socialist worldview."
— Rudolf Hess, letter to Hermann Göring in April 18, 1940
Source: BArch NS 8/184 Berlin-Lichterfelde (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.217-218 [Bundesarchiv]
Rudolf Hess informed Herman Goering in a letter that Hitler no longer wanted to pursuit the national reich church and Hess even stated that Christian education should absolutely not be synthesized with National Socialist doctrines:
"The Führer has not only given up the original plan of creating a Reich Church, he now rejects this plan completely. On the other hand, if an attempt were made to find a synthesis for each of the Christian doctrines with the principles of the National Socialist worldview, this would by no means end the dogmatic dispute currently existing among these various Christian groups. [...] teachers who agree to give such [religious] instruction must be required to present such instruction as "biblical instruction" and not as National Socialist instruction, or even to seek a synthesis in the instruction between the teachings of the Bible and the principles of the National Socialist worldview."
— Rudolf Hess, letter to Hermann Göring in April 18, 1940
Source: BArch NS 8/184 Berlin-Lichterfelde (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.217-218 [Bundesarchiv]
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Hitler's personal gatekeeper and private secretary Martin Bormann had also informed the Chief of the Reich Chancellery Hans Lammers that Hitler no longer wanted to pursue the national church and insisted that the churches and state must remain separate:
"Dear Dr. Lammers!
The Führer wishes, as I have informed you on behalf of you, that you should inform Reich Minister Kerrl once again that the plans previously pursued for a unification of the Protestant churches should under no circumstances be pursued any more. The Protestant churches should instead remain separate."
Source: Bundesarchiv Berlin-Lichterfelde (BArch) R 43-II/170a (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.47 [Bundesarchiv]
Hitler's personal gatekeeper and private secretary Martin Bormann had also informed the Chief of the Reich Chancellery Hans Lammers that Hitler no longer wanted to pursue the national church and insisted that the churches and state must remain separate:
"Dear Dr. Lammers!
The Führer wishes, as I have informed you on behalf of you, that you should inform Reich Minister Kerrl once again that the plans previously pursued for a unification of the Protestant churches should under no circumstances be pursued any more. The Protestant churches should instead remain separate."
Source: Bundesarchiv Berlin-Lichterfelde (BArch) R 43-II/170a (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.47 [Bundesarchiv]
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Joseph Goebbels had also wrote in his diary of this as well. Further corroborating Hitler's thoughts on the matter. Goebbels noted too on Hitler's stance on the churches being separated from the state:
"Debate on the church question. Churches must be left to themselves. A united Protestant church is not in our interest at all. Kerrl is working in the wrong direction. He now wants to found a religious Arndt League in Wittenberg. What falls should be pushed, Mr. Kerrl! The Führer is rightly very skeptical about a church replacement. That will be the task of a future reformer, which the Führer certainly does not consider himself to be. He only wants to solve political problems. In any case, the fight with the churches is unavoidable, but it will certainly take a long time. Reich Bishop Müller has not been of much use to us. But he has also been wronged by the rival clergy. It is best to stay out of all these questions, at least for the time being. It is just a pity that the Wehrmacht leadership is still very devout of the church. But what can they do? The soldier must have something to hold on to. And, as I said, there is no suitable replacement yet."
Source: BArch N 1118/11 Die Tagebücher von Joseph Goebbels, Eintrag vom 17. Januar 1940 (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.35 [Bundesarchiv]
Joseph Goebbels had also wrote in his diary of this as well. Further corroborating Hitler's thoughts on the matter. Goebbels noted too on Hitler's stance on the churches being separated from the state:
"Debate on the church question. Churches must be left to themselves. A united Protestant church is not in our interest at all. Kerrl is working in the wrong direction. He now wants to found a religious Arndt League in Wittenberg. What falls should be pushed, Mr. Kerrl! The Führer is rightly very skeptical about a church replacement. That will be the task of a future reformer, which the Führer certainly does not consider himself to be. He only wants to solve political problems. In any case, the fight with the churches is unavoidable, but it will certainly take a long time. Reich Bishop Müller has not been of much use to us. But he has also been wronged by the rival clergy. It is best to stay out of all these questions, at least for the time being. It is just a pity that the Wehrmacht leadership is still very devout of the church. But what can they do? The soldier must have something to hold on to. And, as I said, there is no suitable replacement yet."
Source: BArch N 1118/11 Die Tagebücher von Joseph Goebbels, Eintrag vom 17. Januar 1940 (invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direkt…) p.35 [Bundesarchiv]
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Hitler's adjutant Otto Dietrich noted this too in his own memoirs:
"At the beginning of his [Hitler's] reign he tried to promote a Protestant National Church which would be tied to the state. But he very quickly abandoned this project."
Source: The Hitler I knew: memoirs of the Third Reich's press chief by Otto Dietrich
Hitler's adjutant Otto Dietrich noted this too in his own memoirs:
"At the beginning of his [Hitler's] reign he tried to promote a Protestant National Church which would be tied to the state. But he very quickly abandoned this project."
Source: The Hitler I knew: memoirs of the Third Reich's press chief by Otto Dietrich
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Further documents from the Führer-Headquarters (Führerhauptquartiere) show that Hitler recognized that National Socialism is not a Christian movement because he believed that religion is a personal matter that should be pursued with freedom and NOT guidance from Christianity whatsoever. This included non-Christian beliefs in the afterlife and opposing banning books on non-Christian doctrines in God.
Führerhauptquartiere, 14.1.1942
“According to the Führer's repeated decision, BELIEF IN AN AFTERLIFE IS A PERSONAL MATTER FOR EVERY PERSON. National Socialism does not concern itself with these questions, BUT RATHER LETS EVERYONE FIND SALVATION IN THEIR OWN WAY. No official party statement has been issued and will not be issued. Just as the churches express their views on an afterlife orally and in writing, in Germany, where freedom of religion prevails, every other person can of course also express their views on the afterlife privately in writing or orally. I therefore consider it absolutely wrong if we wanted to ban private books in which the authors express the opinion that there is no afterlife as preached by the churches. The main thing always remains that there is not the slightest pressure to believe this or that. Apart from that, we must of course not overlook the extent to which the Christian churches have used the belief in the afterlife they preach as a means of pressure and coercion for centuries and still do so."
Source:
NARA, RG 242, T-81, Roll 676 US National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC (NARA) p.681-682
Further documents from the Führer-Headquarters (Führerhauptquartiere) show that Hitler recognized that National Socialism is not a Christian movement because he believed that religion is a personal matter that should be pursued with freedom and NOT guidance from Christianity whatsoever. This included non-Christian beliefs in the afterlife and opposing banning books on non-Christian doctrines in God.
Führerhauptquartiere, 14.1.1942
“According to the Führer's repeated decision, BELIEF IN AN AFTERLIFE IS A PERSONAL MATTER FOR EVERY PERSON. National Socialism does not concern itself with these questions, BUT RATHER LETS EVERYONE FIND SALVATION IN THEIR OWN WAY. No official party statement has been issued and will not be issued. Just as the churches express their views on an afterlife orally and in writing, in Germany, where freedom of religion prevails, every other person can of course also express their views on the afterlife privately in writing or orally. I therefore consider it absolutely wrong if we wanted to ban private books in which the authors express the opinion that there is no afterlife as preached by the churches. The main thing always remains that there is not the slightest pressure to believe this or that. Apart from that, we must of course not overlook the extent to which the Christian churches have used the belief in the afterlife they preach as a means of pressure and coercion for centuries and still do so."
Source:
NARA, RG 242, T-81, Roll 676 US National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC (NARA) p.681-682