The Lines of Duty

American Thinker ^ | April 5, 2015 | Dennis Lund

[Michael.SF.]

Throughout history rare men have risen in times of strife, acting unselfishly while striving to achieve an end for the betterment of mankind. In many cases they succeed, to be long remembered for their words, battlefield exploits, or deeds: William Wilberforce, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, and George Patton are a few that spring to mind. Too often success is elusive, as was the case with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose name has been often overlooked in history. His is a name deserving to be remembered, not forgotten.

One historian who has told the story is Eric Metaxas, in his biography of Bonhoeffer, he describes him as being a “theologian, martyr, a spiritual writer, a musician, a pastor, and an author of poetry and fiction”.

Bonhoeffer, a Christian of deep integrity, lived in the troubled times of Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing war. During this time, the good Pastor went through a period of self-doubt regarding his faith. Ultimately believing that faith allowed him to cross the line between potentially violating a commandment, while also serving God and humanity.

[Michael.SF.]

An admirable man indeed.

[Sherman Logan]

The descendants of a Jewish grandmother, one who had married a Christian for example, were now classified as Jewish.

Sorry, that's just inaccurate.

A person with one Jewish grandparent was classified as a mischlinge of the second degree.

While they had some disabilities, they were not actively persecuted, and certainly not treated as Jews.

The author appears to be confusing Nazi race laws with those of the American "one drop" South.

[Michael.SF.]

It appears the inaccuracy may be minor in scope:

“Based on the bylaws and programs of antisemitic organizations and parties of the late 19th century (as the German Social Party in 1889), the Aryan Paragraph first appeared in the Third Reich in the formulation of the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, which was passed on 7 April 1933. It stipulated that only those of Aryan descent, without Jewish parents or grandparents, could be employed in the civil service.”

source: Longerich, Peter (2010). Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280436-5.

https://readtiger.com/wkp/en/Aryan_paragraph

I also read Metaxas book on the subject and I believe the author is referring to Pastor Franz Hildebrand, a converted Jew who was ordained.

[Sherman Logan]

I would disagree. The Aryan paragraph prevented the employment of 2nd degree Mischlinges in the civil service. Its effects were much like something halfway between the gentlemen’s agreements against Jews in the first half of the 20th and Jim Crow.

I’m not at all in favor of discrimination in employment, but I do hope you’ll agree being blocked from certain jobs is very different indeed from being “classified as Jewish” under the 3rd Reich.

We are so used to all people being treated equally, at least legally, that we tend to forget for most of history that various groups had legal advantages and disadvantages. Didn’t stop them from leading productive lives and even thriving.

For instance, the disadvantages a 2nd degree Mischlinge faced under the 3rd Reich were a good bit less than those Jews had to deal with in Germany prior to their 19th century emancipation.

Unemployment is at least better than being murdered.

[Michael.SF.]

I think we are quibbling over a possible minor issue, while losing site of the main point of the author’s piece: Bonhoeffer was a man deserving of recognition for his admirable and selfless efforts to stop Hitler.

[Sherman Logan]

I can buy that.