Customer Reviews

The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity (Studies in religion & society)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Nazi State and the New Religions: Fives Case Studies in Non-Conformity" by Christine Elizabeth King is a valuable resource for those studying how the Nazis handled minority religions. It will also be useful to those attempting to understand why some people can resist pressure and maintain their moral codes. The book describes how five smaller Christian sects handled the Nazis (Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, the New Apostolic Church, and the Jehovah's Witnesses). Of the five, only one--the Jehovah's Witnesses--resisted the Nazis (although passively). One out of every two Witnesses was imprisoned, and one in four lost their lives. Yet, they continued promote their faith even in the camps.

The book explains how the other religions compromised to survive in the Reich, and how the Reich viewed each. King also provides useful background on organizations in the police state associated with religious oppression, and explains how international pressure and ideological interpretations affected the Nazis' behavior towards each group.

The history of the Witnesses suggests that compromises towards evil eat at the core of good ethics. The Witnesses, in contrast, would not compromise: "Witnesses, on the whole, unless they were tortured to the stage beyond which human judgment fails, were not confused, were never vacillating. They knew what was happening to them and they believed they knew why it was happening: death held no fear. Their uncompromising and unflinching attitude had brought them into the camps but it was this that sustained them, once there." (Chapter VI)

The book has an excellent end-notes section and a bibiography, as well as several useful appendices.

Contrary to the previous review, I think this book is full of excellent examples of how true Christians stood up to Nazi persecution. Many of these were given an opportunity by Nazi authorities to be released from the concentration camps, in return for a declaration to abandon their religion. However, most of those given this chance to escape chose to die with their beliefs rather than compromise. Additionally, there is excellent content on the silence of the Catholic church during the holocaust. This book is well worth the price.

If you are are a so called Christian, and your religion should be one of those covered by the author, with the exception of one, then a deep inward search of ones faith may be in order. Compromise, not Biblical steadfastness to written truth is the order of the day with most of those mentioned in the publication. And what did they compromise on? The absolute major teachings of the Bible, to simply save their compromizing churches. The Nazi's just loved these churches.