History Repeats Itself

"Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

I learned a little about history today that I did not know. I feel it is quite relevant to the discussions of today and our upcoming election, in particular.

In the early 1900s, Germany was really struggling. The Treatise of Versailles had punished Germany because of their involvement in World War I. These sanctions had left the people poor while cost of living was high, and it was difficult for families to make ends meet. The people demanded more of their government. There was an Iron Cross awarded soldier by the name of Adolf Hitler, part of the German Worker's Party (which would become the Nazi party), who was rising in popularity. He criticized the Treatise of Versailles and shared propaganda on the once great country of Germany, telling people, "We must make Germany great again" (that's not a joke - he seriously said those words on multiple occasions, though, of course, in German). 

Hitler projected a strong, macho man image. A "man's man". His ads often portrayed men like that as well, whereas women were portrayed in subservient roles, often with a baby at their breast. He went to rallies and spoke in different places and repeatedly told the people that he was the only one who could make Germany great again. 

In Isabel Wilkerson's book, "Caste", she writes, "Hitler had risen as an outside agitator, a cult figure enamored of pageantry and rallies with parades of people carrying torches that observers said looked like 'rivers of fire.' Hitler saw himself as the voice of the Volk, of their grievances and fears, ... as a god-chosen savior, running on instinct." She adds of his supporters, that they "did not foresee, or chose not to see, that his actual mission was 'to exploit the methods of democracy to destroy democracy.'" Once Hitler was elected into power, the other political parties were dismantled and Germany became a one-party country under a dictator, just as he had designed.

As Hitler courted the people, he was also courting the Church. He knew the influence of the Church in Germany. The party spread the idea that love of God is love of country, and the love of country is love of God. That the two are synonymous, when in fact, we know that they are not (and nor should they be). He even went so far as to put some of his people into church leadership. He used his political pull and influence to put people who were loyal to him into roles of Bishop and other roles. These loyalists continued to relay his messages to the church as a whole: that true Christians, true believers, support what’s best for Germany; ultimately, supporting Hitler. He was "God's candidate". His political party was "God's party".

Early in his rise for power, Hitler began talking about the enemies within (again, not kidding, he actually said this). He focused on the Jewish people, blaming them for a lot of Germany’s problems and for their poverty, but ultimately, his rhetoric would extend to anyone he didn’t see as pure and perfect. He targeted the "undesirables", including individuals with disabilities, the gypsies, criminals (even of minor crimes), homosexuals, and of course, anyone who dared to speak out against him.

When he was in power, he went back to the churches his party had infiltrated, and he required them to sign an oath of allegiance, not to Germany, but to him personally. By then, many of them were so deep in bed with this political party it was hard to tell where the church ended and politics began. Hitler removed anyone with Jewish blood - even going back a few generations - from leadership positions of any kind - government, education, and in the church. Eventually he had them separated from society as a whole.

These were just the first steps to what we know as the Holocaust.

I have often wondered about the Church in Hitler’s day. Why did so few speak out against Hitler's hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies before it got so far? Why were they complicit with their silence? Why did they allow him to get away with what he got away with for so long?  Was there a point when they realized that they had been fooled? Was there ever a point when they regretted supporting him in power? And if so, when?

Perhaps the well had already been so poisoned, they actually believed he was right - it was the Jews' fault, and the other "undesirables", and his methods would truly "make Germany great again". Perhaps they thought the cost was worth it. 

Let's take a moment and count the cost. 17 million lives were lost at Hitler's hands... but even those who were not led to the gas chambers suffered. All non-Germans, all immigrants, in other words, had their citizenship stripped and all the rights thereof. Many had to leave the country. Unemployment was made illegal for men, and anyone who didn't or couldn't work was imprisoned. The military budget expanded tremendously, and jobs were created to make weapons and hire soldiers, though this harmed international relations. Jobs were taken from women, who instead were told to stay at home and produce children, as well as from Jews and immigrants, to give to German men. The press was taken over by the government, much like North Korea does now. Schools or universities deemed too "liberal" or "progressive" were shut down. Since big businesses were rewarded, many small businesses folded. 

Was that cost worth it? Did these actions "make Germany great again"? Perhaps for some people, the wealthy elite, the men in power, but certainly not for all. Not even for most.

Alternatively, perhaps the people were willingly blind. Living in denial. After all, they had tied their wagon to this man. Backing out would have been... Hypocritical? Embarrassing? Or maybe, they were worried it would break the Church apart. Certainly, in the later days, I am sure they were worried Hitler would retaliate against them and they would lose their lives, too. But why did it get so far?

That is not to say there weren’t some Christians who stood against Hitler. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of them. He wrote articles and books and spoke out, advocating against the racist and dangerous rhetoric and policies of Hitler and his party. He began a seminary to train up new leadership who would understand the dangers of mixing church and state. Hitler would later shut his seminary down. Soon after, Bonhoeffer would be implicated in a plot to assassinate Hitler, and that implication is what would lead to his death at the Nazi's hand. 

Hearing this history in my class, I could not help but make many unfortunate comparisons to the Church in America today. Many in the Church today have also gotten into bed with a political party. They might as well have sworn an oath of allegiance to a leader who is the antithesis of Christ, seeing as how no matter how much evil he does, they still support him. Church leaders have supported him, stating what is good for our country is also good for the Church.

I imagine the Church in Germany had no idea how bad it would get. They had no idea that Hitler would lead millions upon millions of people to death in horrible, torturous ways.

We, on the other hand, cannot claim ignorance as an excuse.

One, because we can learn from history. The current far right candidates are reading straight out of Hitler’s playbook, even using some of the same language! Using the same fear tactics as well as the same courting of the church, blurring the same lines between church and state. History has seen this before. We should not be so naive as to imagine what happened back then will not happen here. After all, Germany probably thought that, too.

Two, because we have already seen the danger that this administration has done to our country once before. I do not understand why we want to go back to what we had before, with children being torn from their mother’s arms and thrown into cages. With immigrants being deported into the hands of traffickers and the people out to kill them. With such mismanagement of a global crisis that we lost more people than any other developed nation and had bodies stacked up in Central Park. With a job crash, a market crash, and an insurrection at the capital that left multiple capital police officers dead or wounded.

Is this really what we want? A president who rewards those who support him and withholds aid - even life-saving aid - from those who don't. A president's whose tax break policies really only helped the 1%. A president who speaks hateful lies and harmful rhetoric about immigrants, yes, but also about women, people with disabilities, our LGBTQ community, and many others. Is this who we want representing our country? A president who publishes a Bible with the founding documents in it, further reinforcing the belief that church and state are intertwined. A president who is not well, and whose vice president candidate has clearly supported on several occasions those who state we should throw out our democracy and establish a dictatorship?

Is this who we as a Church want to support?

I don’t care what you think about Kamala Harris. Personally, I think she will do a great job. I think she and Biden have taken what was a royal mess when they came into office and led the country to a fast recovery. Nearly everywhere in the world experienced inflation and job loss over Covid. This administration has led us to one of the faster rates of recovery worldwide, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs and bringing inflation down. If Harris is president, I believe she will continue fighting for the American people - and not just the wealthy elite.

She's not perfect. I've been very unhappy with this administration's work at the border, for example. But ultimately, I don't think we'll have perfect. Perhaps perfect doesn't matter. What matters is shutting down this man and his coleader once and for all. Their mass deportation plan will result in millions of people, mostly women and children, being locked up in deplorable conditions, waiting to be sent back to a country that will not protect them. Many will die. Their plans will continue to restrict the rights of women. Their rhetoric will increase anti-immigrant sentiment and racially motivated crimes (as it did the previous time he was president). Every racist with a gun will be empowered to "stand their ground" and "defend their country", leading to vigilance violence against the most vulnerable. 

We cannot be silent any longer. I cannot be silent any longer. We know from history what is next in the playbook. We cannot let what happened in Germany happen here.

I imagine people thought Bonhoeffer was over-reacting when he tried to warn the Church about the dangers of Hitler. 

They didn't know.

We do.