Evening star., 1939-05-30
Religious Broadcasts
Banned, , Bible Sales
Restricted in Reich
New Moves Seen Part
Of Effort by Nozis to
Regiment Churches
BY DEWITT MACKENZIE,

Associated Press Foreign Affairs Writer.
NEW YORK, May 3O.-German
officialdom quietly and without pub
licity has banned the broadcasting
of religious services.
Requests from church officials in
this strongly Christian country that
the broadcasts be resumed. for the
benefit of invalids and those living
far from churches, have not been
granted.
At the same time, though perhaps
coincidently. the government has
placed restrictions on the sale of
the Bible and church tracts.
The only authoritative explana-
tlon OF the broadcast order is that
the radio is a government institution
end the government isn't a church
instrument or confessional That is
an obvious truth and not very illu-
mlnating
Nothing has been vouchsafed
about the curb on the sale of the
Holy Writ. The public is left to
figure that out for itself.
Interpretation of these moves,
therefore, is lacking in official back
ground. However, without trying to
read the official mind, it seems evi-
dent that these new moves are re-
lated to the governments efforts to
spply RECOMMENDATION to the churches.
both Catholic and Protestant.
Clergymen Punished.
This policy has caused bitter con-
troVersy between State and
churches, and punitive measures
have been applied, including the in
terment of many recalcitrant
clersymen. Just now reports to Of
t1clals of the Protestant Confession
al Synod in Berlin indicate that the
state has refused to pay its Gus
tomary subsidies to a considerable
number OF Lutheran and Evan
gellcal clergymen who haven't seen
fit to go all the way in embracing
the Nazi faith.
The operations of the established
churches have claShed with the Nazi
policies. That is why the govern
ment has tried almost since its in
ceptlon six years ago to force the
churches to accept in toto the Nazi
creed, which subordinates every
thing to the interests of the state.
one OF the most serious clashes
has revolved about control of the
training Of children and youths,
The government has desired to take
this entirely out of the hands of
the churches and religious socities.
and the attempt has been resisted
vigorously
Young Minds Nazified.
The governments point is. of
course, that the quickest and surest
way to nazify Germany is to nazify
Ill the young minds completely so
that when the present generation
of oldsters has passed out, the Nazi
faith will be general.
And the government has made
tremendous strides III that direction.
through the medium of the Hitler
youth movement which trains both
boys and girls. from childhood
through youth. 1t is an undoubted
fact. as I observed when in Ger
many recently. that the nazifica-
ton of most of young minds has
been pretty complete.
They think only in terms of
Nazldor and the Fuehrer.
Along with this we have another
vital move which affects, and will
affect increasingly, the life of the
entire German people.
A new religion has been born in
Germany and Hitler is the central
figure in this, The build-up for this
Is largely indirect, but it is intense
Hitler always has been regarded
partly in the light of a spiritual
head by his followers In this
spiritual leadership lies his strongest
hold on the German people
This then is an added reason why
the government should wish absolute
regimentation of all the churches in
the Reich.