Evening star., 1940-09-17
ANTI-CHRIST
Nv DIR. HERMANN RAUSCHNING

ANTI-CHRIST
By DIR. HERMANN RAUSCHNING.
During most of the conversations
with Hitler at which I was present
1t was the usual habit for Hitler to
sit quiet for some time and then
break In suddenly to take command
after which he would give a lengthy
exposition Of his philosophy on some
subject which occupied his mind.
So it was when he told an evening
gathering of his startling views on
religion, views which shocked the
world when the first hint reached
the public.
"The religions are all alike no
matter what they call themselves, u
he declared. They have no future
certainly none for the Germans.
Fascism, if it likes, may come to
terms with the church. So shall I.
Why not? That will not prevent me
from tearing up christianity root and
branch, and annihilating it In Ger
many. The Italians are naive;
they're quite capable of being heath
ems and Christians at the same time.
The Italians and the French are es-
sentially heathens. Their christi
anity Is only skin-deep. But the
German Is different. He Is serious
in everything he undertakes. He
wants to be either Christian or
q heather. He cannot be both. Be
sides, Mussolini will never make
heroes of his Fascists. 1t dosent
matter there whether they're Chris
tians or heathens. But for our peo-
pie it is decisive whether they ac-
knowledge the Jewish Christ-creed
with its effeminate pity-ethics, or a
strong. heroic belief in God in ma
ture. God in our own people, in our
destiny. in our blood"
German or Christian"
After a pause. he resumed:
Leave the hair-splitting to others.
Whether it's the Old Testament or
the New, or simply the sayings of
Jesus, according to Houston Stewart
Chamberlain-it's all the same old
Jewish swindle. 1t will not make
us free. A German church, a Ger
man christianity, is distortion. One
Is either a German or Christian.
You cannot be both. You can throw
the epileptic Paul out Of christian
ity-others have done so before us
You can make Christ into a noble
human being, and deny His divinity
and His role as a Saviour. People
have been doing it for centuries
I believe there are such Christians
today in England and America
Unitarians they call themselves, or
something like that. It's no use,
you cannot get rid of the mentality
behind it. We don't want people
who keep one eye on the life in the
hereafter. We need free men who
feel and know that God is In them
selves"
Streicher or Goebbels made some
remark which I did not catch-a
question perhaps.
you can't make an Aryan Of
Jesus, that's nonsense" Hitler went
on. What Chamberlain wrote in
his Principles is, to say the least,
stupid. What's to be done. you say9
I will tell you: We must prevent
the churches from doing anything
but what they are doing now, that
Is, losing ground day by day. Do
you really believe the masses will
ever be Christian again? Nonsense!
Never again. That tale is finished.
No one will listen to it again. But
we can hasten matters. The par
sons will be made to dig their own
graves. They will betray their God
to us. They will betray anything
for the sake of their miserable little
Jobs and incomes.
Seeks the Road Back.
What we can do? Just what the
Catholic Church did when 1t forced
It's beliefs on the heathen; preserve
what can be preserved, and change
Its meaning. We shall take the
road back: Easter is no longer re-
surrection, but the eternal renewal
OF our people. Christmas is the
birth Of our Saviour, the spirit OF
heroism and the freedom of our
people. Do you think these liberal
priests, who have no longer a belief,
only an Office, will refuse to preach
our God in their churches? I can
guarantee that, just as they have
made Haeckel and Darwin, Goethe
and Stefan George the prophets of
their christianity, so they will re-
place the cross with our Swastika.
Instead of worshiping the blood of
their quondam Saviour, they will
worship the pure blood of our people.
They will receive the fruits of the
German soil as a divine gift, and
will eat it as a symbol Of the
eternal communion of the people,
as they have hitherto eaten of the
body Of their God. And when we
have reached that point, Streicher,
the churches will be crowded again
II We wish it, then it will be So
when 1t is our religion that is
preached there. We need not hurry
the process"
Let it run its course" he said
But 1t won't last. Why uniform
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