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Yes Hitler admired Martin Luther, but Hitler's anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education. Christian Austria and Germany in his time took for granted the belief that Jews held an inferior status to Aryan Christians. Jewish hatred did not spring from Hitler, it came from the preaching of Catholic priests and Protestant ministers throughout Germany for hundreds of years.
Yes Hitler admired Martin Luther, but Hitler's anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education. Christian Austria and Germany in his time took for granted the belief that Jews held an inferior status to Aryan Christians. Jewish hatred did not spring from Hitler, it came from the preaching of Catholic priests and Protestant ministers throughout Germany for hundreds of years.
The Protestants got it from Luther, and the Catholics got it from misinterpreting the Bible, inserting pagan thought into the religion, and not practicing the "love" part.
As in, "love your enemies."
And they ALL forgot the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and meekness.
It's no different than what the Jews did when they were given the message. They treated everybody else terribly.
Everybody always gets it wrong.
Love. It's not, "God is hate." It's "God is love."
I guess power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, right?
Last edited by herefornow; 07-25-2010 at 02:09 AM..
No, it's not and I say that as a person who is definitely not a fan of Luther. (Yes you'll see Wikipedia imply that mainstream historians agree the Nazis were following Luther's ideas, but Wikipedia is disproportionately atheist/agnostic and has no standing to declare what is the prevailing view among historians)
Luther's hostility to Jews was pretty much just religious. He had the offensive idea of expelling or enslaving them if they wouldn't convert. He even seemed to accept it as okay for some non-converts to be killed. Awful stuff, but Nazism is different. Hitler had a much stronger racial component that descended from the writings of Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Alfred Ploetz, Fritz Lenz, etc. As he was raised Catholic in Austria I'm not sure it's very likely a lesser pamphlet of Luther would have had much formative impact on him. I feel its significance is more in making Lutherans of Germany, of that time, so receptive to even racial hostility toward Jews. Although even then I believe they were divided on the Nazi notion that "Jews can not be saved by Baptism" as the idea mostly goes against even Luther's Anti-Semitism. (Jewish Christians were killed though, but I believe that happened more outside Germany.)
Yes Hitler admired Martin Luther, but Hitler's anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education.
The problem with this is the first we see of his violent antisemitism in history is when he got into occult publications and Wagner. In his Catholic youth his mother, as I recall, had a Jewish doctor and there's not much record of any tensions on that.
Although he was likely influenced by Christian, specifically Catholic yes, antisemitism Catholicism was very hostile to eugenics and racial notions. Those he got elsewhere. He also made other clear breaks from his Catholicism by being part of the organizing of the Protestant Reich Church, trying to scrub Christianity of any Old Testament influences, etc. He basically excommunicated himself or apostasized even if the claim he "always considered himself Catholic" was more than a play to keep Catholics in the regime on his side.
As if Hitler's evil is more powerful than God's love....
I think not.
There is no where that man can go that is too far in the darkness where our Creator cannot reach. He is the Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 to save the ONE that is LOST.
"Forgive them Father, they know not what they do..."
Wow. If that doesn't paint the picture of mercy, I'm not sure what else does.
So, again...
Is Hitler's evils more powerful than God's love?
I say not a chance.
Love conquers ALL.
All darkness is being destroyed.
All of it.
Wholly consumed by His love.
This, to me, is Faith.
Faith in the POWER of God.
Though darkness may completely consume one of His children, that darkness will not be victorious. God's love will be victorious.
Do I know all the answers as to HOW it will happen, How it will come about.. NO! Of course not. I'm just a mere little speck of a human.
But I do have complete confidence in the Creator that HE CAN and WILL bring it about.
As if Hitler's evil is more powerful than God's love....
Why would this statement even have context?
Quote:
I think not.
Most wouldn't.
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There is no where that man can go that is too far in the darkness where our Creator cannot reach
Being in darkness, is being in darkness. You cannot go 'too far' in the darkness, as it is all darkness. There is no such thing as a little dark. It is either dark, or not.
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. He is the Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 to save the ONE that is LOST.
But not all people are sheep. He makes this clear in the Word. That is soley YOUR assumption that Hitler is a sheep. Jesus said HIS sheep, hear His voice, and follow.
Quote:
"Forgive them Father, they know not what they do..."
In context, this was for killing Him. It was for their blindness, which had to happen, so how could they be held accountable? They KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.
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Wow. If that doesn't paint the picture of mercy, I'm not sure what else does.
Yes, it was moving.
Quote:
So, again...
Is Hitler's evils more powerful than God's love?
I say not a chance.
Noone is saying it is.
Quote:
Love conquers ALL.
All darkness is being destroyed.
All of it.
Wholly consumed by His love.
And those in the darkness, will be destroyed. Only through HIM, can there be Light. But not all will come to the Light. John 3. They love the darkness and refuse to come to the Light.
Quote:
This, to me, is Faith.
Yes, YOUR faith.
Quote:
Faith in the POWER of God.
God's power doesn't need faith. Look around at just the creation. Beautiful.
Quote:
Though darkness may completely consume one of His children, that darkness will not be victorious.
Not all ARE His children though. This is where we differ, I think. Being a creator, doesn't NOT make a Father. It makes God the MAKER.
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God's love will be victorious.
For those who ARE His, yes. For those who are NOT His, yes. Only those who are not His, will be gone. Merciful, and quick, but gone. Destroyed forever. As the Creator, this ALSO is His right.
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Do I know all the answers as to HOW it will happen, How it will come about.. NO! Of course not. I'm just a mere little speck of a human.
Ditto.
Quote:
But I do have complete confidence in the Creator that HE CAN and WILL bring it about.
I also believe He can, but I also believe the Word when He says He WON'T.
I seriously doubt that Hitler died a Christian, therefore I doubt any of us will ever see him in heaven...
As far as whether he was a "Catholic", or otherwise, does it really matter? I mean, whatever he was, he certainly wasn't a practicing Catholic, or Lutheran...it would have been in name only...
I seriously doubt that Hitler died a Christian, therefore I doubt any of us will ever see him in heaven...
As far as whether he was a "Catholic", or otherwise, does it really matter? I mean, whatever he was, he certainly wasn't a practicing Catholic, or Lutheran...it would have been in name only...
Bud
I picture him on judgment day saying:
"Lord, Lord!! See, I got back at them for slaying you, and wiped as many out as I could. I did ALL these things in yourr name"
I see Jesus saying:
"DEPART FROM ME"
I see God the Father saying:
"It is finished", while the angels toss him into the lake to be destroyed, and consumed, never to be seen or heard from again, nor even partiallly remembered.
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It's not, "God is hate." It's "God is love."
Excellent post.
