Evening star., 1941-08-30

sick, inflrm, aged and insane per-
sons which has gone on on a large
scale. Aged Cardinal Faulhaber
joined in this protest which is re-
ported to have caused the arrest of
some 800 Catholic priests and an
unknown number of Protestants.
The last figures OF ministers under
indictment for some action or at
titude offensive to the government
was 125, with about so forbidden
to preach. Even greater pressure
has been applied through financial
restrictions and limitations. Con-
fessional pastors known to be critical
OF the NaziS have been sometimes
made to work in Offices II hours
a day to prevent their circulating
among the people, and this practice
may be extended to all pastors soon.
The success of opposition has,
however, been sufficient to inspire
new set of Nazi rules for the
suppression of the churches. Among
13 recently found on a secret list
emanating from the Brown House"
are such significant ones as these:
Vigorous control of church finance
is to be exercised by the state, max
ing voluntary collections impossible:
no religious instruction is to be
permitted save in church buildings;
no one is to be permitted to join
the church until past the age of 81:
no contact of the churches in one
part Of the country with churches
In other parts is to be permitted.
Fear Church Influence.
The fear that the church will in
fuence youth and the army is also
an indirect evidence of the con-
tlnuing resistance of the churches
to the full Nazi program ideolog-
ically considered. No religious lit
erature may be sent to soldiers; no
pastors are permitted in work camps
OF students, and no pastors may
correspond with their young people
in those camps. Christian hymns
are forbidden in many of the camps.
General book stores are forbidden
to carry religious literature. Such
rules would not be needed if re-
ligious resistance were subsiding.
In the Confessional Protestant
churches there are two main groups.
The one seeks to cultivate the spir-
ltual life and to interpret history
solely in theological or "apocalyp-
tic" G. e., other worldly terms.
The other is sure that it must give
guidance to its members in terms
applicable to the present crisis. The
members of this latter group are for
the most part sure that victory of
the Nazis would mean the end Of
the churches in Europe and a de-
feat of the Nazis would mean the
end of Germany as a nation. They
are thus facing terrible dilemma.
No one from outside-and prob
ably no one from inside-can &C
curately sum up the present state
of the struggle in the German
churches. There are, as has been
shown. hopeful signs of continued
resistance. Yet the steady victories
of Nazi-ism over the churches in
the realm of educa ton are to be
feared for their future. more than
for their immediate, effect. And of
the measure of success attained here
there is as yet no accurate gauge.
1t must be admitted that reports
from the evacuation camps of city
children-where all church in
fluences are barred, ministers for
hidden, religious literature banned
and hymns outlawed are highly
disturbing, as they reveal a pretty
thoroughly paganized youth.
Until the churches cease to be
prisoners of the censorship we shall
continue to be deprived of any COM
plete survey of the war within the
war which began with Hitler's rise
and must continue so long as there
is no effective overthrow of the
Nazi party.
Copyright, 194l, Religious News 6eryice.)