The Similarities between Nazi and Christ - Article Example

Name: Professor: Course: Date of submission: Introduction Germany is a country in western-central part of Europe. Germany possesses a unique history of Jews. The country subjected Jews under torture during the Nazi rule. In this period, many Jews were killed during the reign of Adolf Hitler. He segregated the Germans as either Aryans or non-Aryans. German Religious History Aryan was a term used to describe pure Germans by Adolf Hitler. The term referred to a German master race that was superior to other races. In reality, the Aryans were Indo-Iranians people who immigrated and settled in Europe from Northern part of India and Iran. They are part of a larger Indo-European language group (“Aryan”). The term was used on racism and racial superiority to segregate and mistreat other Germans who were not Nordic and Germanic people like Jews, Slavs an others. These were persecuted and considered non-Aryans. Aryans were considered the best breed of human beings. Those who had weaknesses like diseases or disabilities had to be killed to obtain a pure breed. Aryans were not expected to marry with non-Aryans. This would ensure that there is no mingling between pure breed and sub-human breed as the Nazis thought. The Aryans were polytheists as was common with other Indo-Europeans (Carr). They worshipped many gods who were related to Romans and Greek gods. This religion continued for a long period until eighth century. Jews who immigrated to the nation during the Roman Empire rule introduced Judaism in the region. St. Boniface introduced Christianity in the region in eighth century. Roman Catholicism took roots in the nation and spread in the whole nation. For instance, Teutonic Order Knights forcefully spread it in twelfth century. However, in 1517, Martin Luther brought the reformation of Catholicism to usher in a new religion, Protestantism. Islam and Buddhism were also introduced. In 1618 to 1648, war of the Thirty Years led to division of Germany into various states with different religious affiliations between Catholicism and Protestantism. Following the unification in 1871, Protestantism became the dominant religion. Catholicism was weakened by policies of Bismarck. During the Nazis, Christianity was the basis of Aryan ideas. However, some aspects of Christianity were changed to fit into the Aryan Theory. This changed the view of Christianity in Germany. After the Second World War, Germany was separated into East and West. This led to growth of different ideas like secularism and heathenism. After the reunification, the religion of Christianity is reviving and has the largest population. The idea of Aryan however has ceased to exist. It is no longer used to refer to any group of people in the country. Jewish Religious History in Germany The Jewish community in Germany was established as early as fourth century. Mostly, it is thought they emigrated from Rome. At those ages, they were not allowed to spread their religious beliefs. They were open to follow any occupation. During the Tenth century, the Jews began facing discrimination from the church. Laws were passed by the church, which discriminated them. Further, the Christian rulers of Germany supported these laws and thus adverse the discrimination of the Jews. Later, the Jews of Mainz, Speyer and Worms formed a religious league. This league led to strengthening of the Jewish community and religion too. Between 1096 and 1349, the Jews went through a period of massacres. This made them form a larger league to protect themselves. Many Jews fled Germany and went to other countries. During the Holy Roman Empire, the emperor for taxing protected the Jews. During fifteenth century, Christians once again persecuted the Jews. They were in addition forced to convert to Christianity or face death. They were also banished from some regions of Christian Empire. The Jewish converts were participants of persecuting fellow Jews. During The Thirty Years War, both Protestants and Catholics persecuted the Jews as they fought for their respective supremacy. They were banished from some states but Fredrick of Saxony protected those who found refuge in his state. When Poland was partitioned, the Jews who were living in it migrated to Germany. In late eighteenth century, Jewish education system was introduced in Germany. Many Jewish schools were opened in Germany as a result. Later in eighteenth century, Jews were offered equality in some Germanic states. However, discrimination did not cease. Some notable Jews fought for equality especially in Prussia. They were subsequently granted this equality. The nineteenth century saw awakening of Jewish development in religion and science. Many religious materials were written and religious schools opened in Germany. This led to reform of Jewish religion. In beginning of nineteenth century, growth of nationalism in Germany and Europe led to suppression of the Jews. They were restricted to marry with only few numbers allowed especially in Frankfurt. They were also heavily taxed and disallowed to participate in certain trades. With German unification, oppression was relaxed. However, following the financial scandals and crisis that involved Jews led to more oppression. Until the rise of Nazism, Jews experienced a period of legal equality. However, with Nazism, Jews were subjected to their greatest turmoil. This episode is better known in history as The Holocaust. Jews lost their lives, property and jobs. Many died while others fled the countries. The state laws however, restricted them from leaving the nation. They were also denied medical treatment as Aryans treated Aryans whereas Jews were not allowed to be doctors. This anti-Semitism however, died out with fall of Nazism. Today, Jews enjoy freedom of worship and equal rights in Germany. Christianity and Racism Christians regard people of the same faith as brethren in general term. However, there are some instances of racial segregation in Christian nations. In such countries like South Africa and Germany, there were cases of racial prejudices on some communities by others. The perpetrators of these vices were Christians. This shows that although they do not support it openly, they still practice it. They often treat some people better than they often treat others. Christians trade with people from different races. They also trade with people from different religions. In trade, Christians do not exhibit racism. They exchange goods and services for money with people from any part of the globe. They will not refuse to trade with you because of your religious affiliation or racial background. Nazis used the same racial segregation. They segregated non-Aryans from Aryans. The Nazis persecuted the non-Aryans. They also ensured that non-Aryans lost their jobs and property. They were also not allowed to participate in trade. Intermarriage between Aryans and non-Aryans was discouraged and punishable. Jewish shops and property was destroyed so that they could not trade in Germany. Jews and Racism Jews do not have racial segregation or prejudices. They always trade with anybody and move away from their ancestral lands to live in other nations. They will trade with people from any religion. Religious differences do not deter Jews from trading with other people. Therefore, they have no racial discrimination in their activities. Jews always put their interests first. They will do anything to protect their ambitions. They always form strong leagues that instill their interests in various activities. They always do this to protect themselves. During the period before Nazism, despite prohibitions to trade, they provided unique goods, which the Christians only got from them. This ensured they continued to trade. Through various activities, they built themselves wealth in Europe. Therefore, the Jews consider their fate. This makes them put much effort to protect them. However, they do not exhibit racism, which makes them appealing. They therefore win favor through these mechanisms. Germany before World War II and the Holocaust Before the Second World War, the Jews had made a lot of economic progress. They had amassed a lot of wealth than any other people. However, they had also been involved in financial scandals. After the Second World War, Germany entered into a financial crisis. It was considered as the trigger of the war. This made it penalized by League of Nations at the Treaty of Versailles. Despite this economic crisis, the Jews continued to prosper. This attracted dissatisfaction from other people especially the Christians. They were always ridiculed. The Catholics began seeing them as their cause of misfortune. They saw them as people who made money from them (Catholics) and thus benefiting from their calamity. This ideology was supported by the general opinion that despite the economic crisis, the Jews were still advancing economically. With the failure of Germany in the war, the Jews were seen as the cause of the failure. The Christians viewed them as heathens and the sole cause of their defeat in the war. The financial scandals in which some Jews were involved in made matters worse. Catholics now began seeing them as threat to their nation. The Christian hatred for heathens during the crusades was fuelled again. The Catholics with zeal hated the Jews. Hitler, as a Catholic had the same idea. After becoming the Chancellor, he disagreed with some Christian views, which supported equality. He saw the Christianity was too relaxed for the Jews (“Religion and Nazi Germany”). The Christian beliefs were repealed to suit the Nazi propagandas. The Christians had now an opportunity to display their hatred for the Jews. They considered them as heretics and thus God had punished Germany because of these heretics. They had to find a solution to the problem of the heretics. The lasting solution had to be extermination of these Jewish heretics who made money from them. This led to a massive massacre of the Jews in German-controlled nations. The massacre is commonly termed as The Holocaust. The Nazis were native German Christians. They too hated the Jews. They saw them as the cause of financial crisis in the country. They also viewed them as the conspirators of Versailles Treaty and the cause of German’s defeat in the war. With these views, the Nuremberg Laws were passed (Shyovitz). These laws led to segregation and persecution of Jews. With the Final Solution, many Jews died in concentration camps. They also lost their jobs, property as well as social status. The Christian hatred of the Jews was the trigger of Holocaust. The Christians were the perpetrators and implementers of this vice in Jewish history. The hatred that Christians had exhibited for a long time over Jews was culminated into a single move during the Holocaust. This period, saw the unification of Nazis and Christians under the umbrella of Aryans to persecute the Jews. Many died while others fled the country. However, some remained to tell the story. Conclusion The Holocaust is the darkest history of Jews in Germany. During this time, they faced persecution from the Nazis and Christians. They were killed, persecuted and forced to work in labor camps. Their property was confiscated and jobs lost. They were no longer considered humans during this period. The atrocities of that period still haunt the Jews in Germany. 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