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To: Dick Holmes

I would tend to think the letter was a fraud for a couple reasons.

1. I'm fairly certain the Bonhoeffer and Niemoller communicated a good deal during the 30's about what was happening in Germany and what the response of the church should be. Bonhoeffer took a stand against Hitler early on and publicly denounced (on radio I believe) the eugenics (against the handicapped etc) program and other "cleansing" movements that Hitler was instituting. It's hard to believe Niemoeller would have supported the Nazis in such things given their relationship and Bonhoeffer's stand. They were both instrumental in the Confessing Church movement.

2. If the Nazis could have enlisted Niemoeller in the military I have to believe they would have jumped all over it. For this noisy pastor to have been shown joining the German Army would have been an enormous coup and given real legitimacy to what the Nazis were doing. Niemoeller publicly defied Hitler to his face amongst a group of other pastors when Hitler was attempting to co-opt the churches and was seen as a real rabble rouser.

3. Given the fact that Niemoeller had been arrested by the Germans 6 times by 1937 indicates his resistance early on.

It's hard to believe that given his relationships, arrest record, public confrontation with Hitler and 7 year imprisonment that he agreed with the Nazis on much of anything. I'm certain that just as with Bonhoeffer (who like Niemoeller deeply loved Germany) he attempted to exhaust all possibilites in working with his government, but ultimately it became clear what he was up against and what he would have to do.


81 posted on 06/19/2004 7:18:03 AM PDT by bereanway
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To: bereanway

Bump in honor of Bonhoeffer and the Confessors.


90 posted on 06/21/2004 5:19:16 AM PDT by Taliesan (fiction police)
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