Religion of the Nazis

While some liberals argue that the Nazis were Christian. There is heavy evidence contrasting that statement.

## Contents

* 1 Notable Nazis who were Self Professed Christians
* 2 Notable Nazis who repented and became Christian after they were capured
* 3 Neo-Pagans
* 4 Denouncing/Former Christians
* 5 Atheists
* 6 Unknown
* 7 References

## Notable Nazis who were Self Professed Christians[edit]

Most Christians in the party were victims to the Night of the Long Knives event. There were only a few notable Christians after.

* Heinrich Muller \- Gestapo Leader[Citation Needed]
* Gregor Strasser \- Killed by Hitler[Citation Needed]
* Otto Strasser \- Went into exile to survive from Hitler[Citation Needed]
* Erich Koch \- One of the only notable open Christians in Hitler's government.[1]
* Arthur Seyss-Inquart \- Catholic; Inquart did however repent for his sins at the end.[2]

## Notable Nazis who repented and became Christian after they were capured[edit]

These men were not Christian during their times of atrocities, however, they did come to except Jesus as their savior after being captured.

* Joachim von Ribbentrop \- Told Lutheran Chaplain "I'll see you again."[3]
* Wilhelm Keitel \- Was reading the Bible when Gerecke visited him in the cell. Keitel admits he was a bad Christian and repented.[4]
* Fritz Sauckel \- Described as most brutal slaver since Ancient Egypt, communed by Henry Gerecke.[5]
* Baldur Von Shirach \- Leader of Hitler Youth, communed by Henry Gerecke.[6]
* Albert Speer \- Minister of armaments, communed by Henry Gerecke.[7]
* Hans Fritzsche \- Minor Nazi Propagandist, communed by Henry Gerecke.[8]
* Karl Dönitz \- Admiral of Nazi Germany, said that Church is where he belongs after spending time with Henry Gerecke.[9]
* Erich Raeder \- Grand Admiral, communed by Henry Gerecke.[10]
* Ernst Kaltenbrunner \- Top SS leader, returned to Catholic Church with help of Friar Sixtius O'connor.[11]
* Hans Frank \- Top Nazi Governor, returned to Catholic Church with help of Friar Sixtius O'connor.[12]
* Rudolf Hoss \- Not to be confused with Hiter's Deputy Fuehrer, Rudolf Hess, Hoess was one of the major perpetrators at Auschwitz. Converted to Cathlocism before execution[13]
* Oswald Pohl \- Nazi Governor that reverted back to Catholic faith before execution. It should be noted that he terminated his membership while being a Nazi.[14]
* Walther Funk \- Funk did however repent for his sins at the end.[15]
* Wilhelm Frick \- On his way to the gallows, Frick told Chaplin Gerecke that he had repented. Gerecke had not seen any signs of conversion up until then. [16]

## Neo-Pagans[edit]

* Rudolf Hess \- Hess was keen on clairvoyance and the occult.[17]
* Heinrich Himmler \- Formerly Catholic, but became a Neo-Pagan[18]
* Reinhard Heydrich \- Formerly Catholic, joined the Pagan The gottgläubig movement.[18]
* Carl Rover \- Former Catholic, this Nazi Governor turned to the gottgläubig movement.[18]
* Rudolf Lange \- SS Officer, Resigned from Church in 1937, described as being a stooge to Heinrich Himmler[19]
* Jakob Wilhelm Hauer \- Leader of the German Faith Movement, a prominent Neo-Pagan group

## Denouncing/Former Christians[edit]

It is unclear what religion these men were, it is just clear that they terminated their Christian membership

* Alfred Jodl \- Nazi General, refused all Spiritual Counselling.[20]
* Adolf Eichmann \- Dubbed the architect of the Holocaust, he terminated his church membership in 1937.[21]
* Adolf Hitler \- Often described as an atheist, Hitler himself did express distrust of atheists. He was raised catholic, but trashes Christianity in Mein Kampf and describes Christianity as an evil Jewish plot. His views might be be best classified as pantheism.[22]
* Joseph Goebbels \- Like Hitler, raised Catholic but rejected the faith later in life
* Amon Goth \- Former Catholic[Citation Needed]
* Kurt Eggers \- Broke all ties with Church after writing the song, "Song of the Struggling Peasants" calling for a violent revolt[Citation Needed]

## Atheists[edit]

* Hermann Goering \- Head of Luftwaffe[23]
* Julius Streicher \- Head of anti Semitic propaganda Der Stürmer[24]
* Alfred Rosenberg \- Nazi Racial Pseuodscientist and major perpetrator of religious persecution, see his article for more
* Martin Bormann \- Hitler’s personal secretary, and major perpetrator of religious persecution, see his article for more[25]
* Odilo Globocnik \- The Final Solution was the brainchild of Odilo and Heydrich. He ransacked cardinals after they denounced his treatment of Churches.

## Unknown[edit]

* Josef Mengele \- Nazi Doctor, known as the Angel of Death

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/erich-koch-war-criminal.html
2. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
3. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
4. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
5. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
6. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
7. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
8. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
9. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
10. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
11. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
12. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
13. ↑ http://archiwum.wadowice24.pl/kultura/historia/4416-kat-hoess-nawrocil-sie-w-wadowicach
14. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Pohl
15. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
16. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
17. ↑ Manvell & Fraenkel 1971, p. 94.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Steigmann-Gall, Richard (2003). The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919–1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521823715. Retrieved on 23 January 2018.
19. ↑ Angrick, Andrej; Klein, Peter (2009). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation. New York; Oxford: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-84545-608-5.
20. ↑ https://thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplains-at-war/world-war-2/i-walked-to-the-gallows-with-the-nazi-chiefs/
21. ↑ Staff (18 May 1962). "Religion: Converting Eichmann". Time. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
22. ↑ https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/hitler’s-religion-was-nazi-dictator-atheist-christian-or-something-else-169233
23. ↑ In a 1946 interview, Göring said, "I don't believe that I will go to either heaven or hell when I die. I don't believe in the Bible or in a lot of things which religious people think." Leon Goldensohn, The Nuremberg Interviews: An American Psychiatrist's Conversations with the Defendants and Witnesses, p. 132
24. ↑ In a 1946 interview, Streicher said, "Christ was a Jew and God, he is supposed to have made the universe. That's a little far-fetched because if God made the world, who made God?" Leon Goldensohn, The Nuremberg Interviews: An American Psychiatrist's Conversations with the Defendants and Witnesses, p. 256
25. ↑ "Within the NSDAP (as in the German völkisch movement in general) there existed from the outset a group of old Hitler partisans who in contrast to the 'atheists' Alfred Rosenberg, Martin Bormann and others, believed in a union of National Socialism and Protestant Christianity." Martin Broszat, The Hitler State, p. 223