What, not a Nazi storm trooper with NOTHING beside him (atheism)?
Not a Nazi storm trooper with ODIN beside him (pagan)?
A Nazi storm trooper with Jesus the Christ beside him.
“God is with us” they cried as they drove off to war in equipment with a cross painted on it. Now years later some try to claim they were either atheists or pagans; simply ANYTHING other than what they thought of themselves as.... Christians. Not good ones mind you, rather shoddy anti Semitic ones, easily led by a Socialism espousing madman; but they still thought that a Nazi storm trooper needed Jesus the Christ beside him.
What, not a Nazi storm trooper with NOTHING beside him (atheism)?
OK. It appears that your definition of atheism is the belief in no spirit world. That's good because that is also my definition. (some view atheism as meaning no Christian God)
Anyway, the top Nazi's were not atheists, they were occultic/paganists.
Not a Nazi storm trooper with ODIN beside him (pagan)?
I can't readily cite such example inside a "Christian" church but there are plenty of Wotan/Odin examples in the 3rd Reich. Examples that come to mind are the 1943 Wotan defensive line in Russia. Not having lost faith when the Russians smashed through the 1943 Wotan line, the Germans in April 1945 named the final defensive line at Seelow Heights the Wotan Line. The Seelow Heights Wotan Line was the last defensive line to the East of Berlin.
A Nazi storm trooper with Jesus the Christ beside him.
Actually, an Aryanized Jesus who could have passed for a body builder in a different setting.
“God is with us” they cried as they drove off to war in equipment with a cross painted on it.
I don't doubt some Chaplain used such words of reassurance but keep in mind, German army chaplains were not conscientious objectors either. That having been said, if you can cite one original example of German soldiers shouting this please do so.
The cross on the vehicles was the Balkenkreuz which was a secularized straight armed cross that first appeared toward the end of WWI and continued until 1945.
Germany presently uses the Maltese style cross which is actually has greater religious symbolism but modern German soldiers don't think because they wear the Malta cross that they are Christian Soldiers.
Now years later some try to claim they were either atheists or pagans;
Not a claim but a fact as it pertained to the highest ranks and if you can refute that do so. So far, you haven't begun to.
simply ANYTHING other than what they thought of themselves as.... Christians.
Sort of like the Noam Chomsky secular Leftist Jew? He'll say that he's a Jew but not a joo.
Not good ones mind you, rather shoddy anti Semitic ones, easily led by a Socialism espousing madman; but they still thought that a Nazi storm trooper needed Jesus the Christ beside him.
You just described liberal Christian Churches. As a group, there's no better example than membership of The World Council of Churches. Should a modern Hitler comes along, they will be right out front goose stepping in fine form.
That having been said, I agree with you that Christian churches collaborated with the Nazis more than is commonly acknowledged.
Just as Night and day differentiate Liberal Christians from Conservative Christians. There were collaborationist Christians seeking to save their hides and then there were those Christians loaded onto the cattle cars.
If nothing else, what The Third Reich made painfully clear was that Christianity in Europe was dead... something most American immigrants fleeing European religious persecution knew long before Hitler came along.