Posted on 10/28/2008 9:17:29 AM PDT by forkinsocket
In a remote part of Chile, an evil German evangelist built a utopia whose members helped the Pinochet regime perform its foulest deeds
Deep in the Andean foothills of Chile’s central valley lives a group of German expatriates, the members of a utopian experiment called Colonia Dignidad. They have resided there for decades, separate from the community around them, but widely known and admired, and respected for their cleanliness, their wealth, and their work ethic. Their land stretches across 70 square miles, rising gently from irrigated farmland to low, forested hills, against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains. Today Colonia Dignidad is partially integrated with the rest of Chile. For decades, however, its isolation was nearly complete. Its sole connection to the outside world was a long dirt road that wound through tree farms and fields of wheat, corn, and soybeans, passed through a guarded gate, and led to the center of the property, where the Germans lived in an orderly Bavarian-style village of flower gardens, water fountains, and cream-colored buildings with orange tile roofs. The village had modern apartment complexes, two schools, a chapel, several meetinghouses, and a bakery that produced fresh cakes, breads, and cheeses. There were numerous animal stables, two landing strips, at least one airplane, a hydroelectric power station, and mills and factories of various kinds, including a highly profitable gravel mill that supplied raw materials for numerous road-building projects throughout Chile. On the north side of the village was a hospital, where the Germans provided free care to thousands of patients in one of the country’s poorest areas.
All this was made possible by one man, a charismatic, Evangelical preacher named Paul Schaefer, who founded the community and who, until several years ago, remained very much in charge.
(Excerpt) Read more at theamericanscholar.org ...
Ugly story.
What is it about Germans?????????
Very sad story. Note though, that this was a child molesting cult, not an Evangelical group - their head was kicked out of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
I would hesitate to believe everything alleged here and in the BBC story.
Pinochet was no worse, and arguably much better, than the Communists he fought against. There was a brutal civil war, probably atrocities on both sides, but the end result was that he cleaned out the Marxist terrorists, stabilized the country, and brought prosperity.
But the left absolutely hates him, much like it hated Franco in Spain.
What about the charges that this German leader abused boys? Maybe so, maybe not. The hatreds between the factions are so intense, that you could expect lies. And the persons writing these stories are completely sympathetic to the leftist version of events.
So, I don’t know that this guy wasn’t a pervert. Perhaps he was. But I think much of this is just knee-jerk hatred of Pinochet for putting an end to the Communist revolt.
“What is it about Germans?”
When they were a bunch of little states they seemed fine—since they merged in the mid 1800’s they’ve caused nothing but trouble. Mother’s people left Bavaria in 1860’s when it was absorbed—and thank God they did.
Fascinating... in the same way that a King Cobra is fascinating.
Thanks for posting.
Some of mine left Alsace-Lorraine when it was still German -thank God.
“Some of mine left Alsace-Lorraine when it was still German -thank God.”
Ditto.
The re-writing of "the truth." Happens in the most unexpected of places and time. It is even sometimes possible to watch as it happens.
"Mr Ayers was just a guy in my neighborhood."
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