Hitler & Christianity

by Perkunas

In the article ‘Are the table talks genuine?’, the question was raised: ‘Christian disingenuously ask why, if this was his real opinion, didn’t he put it in Mein Kampf or mention it in any of his public speeches?’

Actually, Hitler did do that. There is a specific passage in Mein Kampf where Hitler says Christianity a ‘spiritual terror’ that came into the far freer ancient world, and a parallel and complementing statement to this passage is present in Hitler’s Table Talk. Here I quote the original German Version (1943 Edition):

Auch das Christentum konnte sich nicht damit begnügen, seinen eigenen Altar aufzubauen, sondern mußte zwangs-läufig zur Zerstörung der heidnischen Altäre schreiten. […] Man kann sehr wohl den Einwand bringen, daß es sich bei derartigen Erscheinungen in der Weltgeschichte meist um solche spezifisch jüdischer Denkart handelt; ja, daß diese Art von Unduldsamkeit und Fanatismus geradezu jüdische Wesensart verkörpere. Dies mag tausendmal richtig sein, und man kann diese Tatsache wohl tief bedauern und mit nur allzu berechtigtem Unbehagen ihr Erscheinen in der Geschichte der Menschheit als etwas feststellen, was dieser bis dahin fremd gewesen war […] Der einzelne mag heute schmerzlich feststellen, daß in die viel freiere antike Welt mit dem Erscheinen des Christentums der erste geistige Terror gekommen ist, er wird die Tatsache aber nicht bestreiten können, daß die Welt seitdem von diesem Zwange bedrängt und beherrscht wird, und daß man Zwang nur wieder durch Zwang bricht und Terror nur mit Terror. Erst dann kann aufbauend ein neuer Zustand geschaffen werden. (Mein Kampf, 5. Kapitel Weltanschauung und Organisation. Auflage 1943, Verlag Franz Eher Nachf., G.m.b.H., München, Zentralverlag der NSDAP., Frz. Eher Nachf., G.m.b.H., München).

Translation (italics added):

Even Christianity could not be satisfied with building its own altar, but inevitably had to go to the destruction of the pagan altars. […] One can very well raise the objection that such phenomena in world history are mostly of a specifically Jewish way of thinking; yes, that this kind of intolerance and fanaticism embodied a downright Jewish nature. This may be correct a thousand times, and one can deeply regret this fact and, with all too justified discomfort, see its appearance in the history of mankind as something that had hitherto been alien to it. […] Today the individual may painfully discover that the first spiritual terror came into the much freer ancient world with the appearance of Christianity. But he will not be able to deny the fact that the world has been oppressed and dominated by this compulsion ever since, and that compulsion can only be broken by compulsion and terror by terror. Only then can a new condition be created.

We can see here Hitler says that Christianity, in destroying altars of the classical world, displayed a ‘specifically Jewish way of thinking’ (original German: spezifisch jüdischer) and ‘embodied a downright Jewish nature’ (original German: geradezu jüdische verkörpere), and asserts this as a ‘fact’ (original German: Tatsache).

And next Hitler says Christianity introduced ‘spiritual terror’ into the much freer ancient world. Again, he asserts this as a fact. The words he uses above, ‘oppressed’ and ‘compulsion’, are extremely incriminating. What is more: incriminating is, according to Hitler, that the world has been oppressed and driven by compulsion only since the advent of Christianity; before Christianity’s advent the world was far freer in the Ancient World.

Now in Adolf Hitlers Monologe im Führer-hauptquartier 1941-1944 there is a parallel and complementing statement to the one present in Mein Kampf. In the latter Hitler says: ‘Today the individual may painfully discover that the first spiritual terror came into the much freer ancient world with the appearance of Christianity’. In Adolf Hitlers Monologe we find:

‘Daß die antike Welt so schön, so heiter und unbeschwert war, erklärt sich daraus, daß sie von zwei Seuchen verschont geblieben ist: der Syphilis und dem Christentum!’ (19. 10. 1941, nachmittags).

Translation: ‘That the ancient world was so beautiful, so cheerful and carefree can be explained by the fact that it was spared from two epidemics: syphilis and Christianity!’

And regarding his speeches, in more than one speech Hitler did say Christianity destroyed the Roman Empire, and also compares Christianity with Bolshevism.

‘We know that the Jew used Christianity […] because he knew that this new religion questioned all earthly power and so it became an axe at the root of the Roman state, the state which was built on the authority of the public servant. And he [the Jew] became its chief bearer and propagator’ (Adolf Hitler, Speech, 13 August 1920, Hofbräuhaus Hall, Munich).

‘I could go back to the emergence of Christianity, to facts, according to which an idea can take hold of mankind until states finally break because of it. Closer to us is a look at the development of Marxism in Germany’ (Adolf Hitler, August 4, 1929).

‘It was only the disintegrating effect of Christianity and the symptoms of age which appear in every country that caused ancient Rome to succumb’ (Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s Meeting with the head persons of the Armed Services on November 5, 1937).

A worldview conquered a State and, starting from there, will slowly shatter the whole world and bring about its collapse. Bolshevism will, if its advance is not halted, expose the world to a transformation as complete as the one Christianity once effected (Adolf Hitler, Industry Club in Düsseldorf, January 27, 1932).

Editor’s note: Again, italics have been added by the commenter.