Evening star., 1941-11-01
The Week in Religion
The Facts About the Nuzi
Plan to Abolish Religion
BY Religious News Service.

BY Religious News Service.
President Roosevelt. in his Navy
Day address this week, referred to a
Nazi plan to abolish all religion,
Catholic. Protestant, Mohammedan,
Hindu. Buddhist and Jewish alike.
The President devoted only three
paragraphs of his address to the
Nazi plan, but few days earlier,
A. A. Berle, jr. Assistant Secretary
Of State. described the plan In de-
tail at the annual meeting of the
National Council Of the Y. M. C. A.
at Columbus, Ohio.
The NaZi plan, as described by
Mr.. Berle. Is based on a 30-point
program for reorganizing religion to
be carried out by the German Ma
tional Church. In this program,
Hitler's Mein Kampf would supplant
the Bible. and the swastika would
replace the cross. Priests and pas
tors would be replaced by Nazi
orators selected by civil service.
Publications and dissemination of
the Bible and other material of a
religious nature would be abolished,
as well as various religious rituals
and ceremonials.
The main thing to note about the
Nazi plan is that it is not new. 1t
was known in this country at least
three and half years ago.
| DOIrinO Nov onl J,,1v nf 1000 Do
ligious News Service released two
detailed stories about the plan, re-
ceived from its London correspond .
ent The stories described in exact
duplicate the details made public
this week by Mr.. Berle, ranging
from the 30-point program of the
German National Church to the
proposed abolition of the crucifix
and the Bible.
Circulated as Manifesto.
The 30-point program for the
abolition of Christianity was origi-
nally circulated throughout Ger
many as manifesto issued by ex-
treme members of the Nazi party.
1t was distributed by the German
National Church, group that had
been previously organized, with the
approval Of many Of the party au-
thorities, to carry out the 30-point
program.
Because the reaction of Germans
to the manifesto was hostile, or pos
sibly for foreign consumption, the
Nazi authorities variously reported
that the author of the manifesto
! and founder of the new sect. de-
scribed as Herr Fritz Bieldt, a Stet-
tin insurance agent, had been i'm
prisoned or confined in lunatic
asylum.
These reports were taken at the
time to indicate that the Nazi party
had not definitely decided to back
the National Church. At the same
time, however, observers believed
that the manifesto could not have
achieved its wide circulation without
official tolerance. 1t was believed
that Nazi leaders encouraged circu-
lation of the program to gauge the
nature of the reception accorded to
the idea of "totalitarian church. -
Rosenberg Held Author.
Church observers are inclined to
attribute authorship of the Nazi plan
to Alfred Rosenberg. the official
party philosopher, since the plan is
in line with Rosenbergs views. Most
informed religious leaders in the
| United States and abroad have long
been familiar with the Nazi phil
osopher's attitude toward Christian
ity, and the plans proposed by the
Nazi extremists for the church.
Ever since the NaZis came to power
Rosenberg has been attacked by re-
ligious leaders and church groups
throughout the world and in Ger
many itself His book, The Myth
of the Twentieth Century" has been
particularly singled out for condem-
nation.
On July 6, 1941, the bishops Of
Greater Germany issued a pastoral
letter which condemned widespread
influences at work against religion"
and cited book, without giving the
title, in which, it was said. readers
are told Germany faces a choice be-
tween Christ and the fatherland" !"
Catholic leaders in Washington at
tached deep importance to this pas
toral letter and indicated that the
book referred to was the one by
Rosenberg.
In this book, published five or six
years ago, Rosenberg appears to lay
the philosophical groundwork for
the program of the German National
Church. For example, he calls for
the removal Of the crucifix from
churches and roadsides. He declares
further that the values of the Ro-
man Catholic and Lutheran
Churches run counter to the "or-
ganic forces of the Nordic nations
and says that these must be trans
formed into Germanic Christianity.
That the Nazi plan was made
public by administration leaders at
this time is believed by informed
churchmen to be a part Of an effort
to arouse the churches against Hit
lerism and break down their anti
war attitude Both interventionists
and on-interventionist religious
leaders are agreed on this point.
One well-known interventionist
church leader, who is closely in
touch with developments in Ger
many, said he had known of the Nazi
religious plan for more than a year.
He said the plan had been argued
back and forth by the radical and
conservative groups Of the Nazi
party for some time.
Religious Peace in Mexico.
Archbishop Luis M. Martinez,
head of the Roman Catholic Church
in Mexico, expressed the hope this
week that religious peace would soon
return to Mexico. He said that
President Avila Camacho has no.
tably eased the situation, and that
slow progress is being made in re-
solving various aspects of the relig-
ious problem. The archbishop thus
drew attention to a development
which has been proceeding for some
time.
The laws that hamper religion in