Religion and the Holocaust

Paper Summary:

In this article the writer maintains that religion has always been tied to the story of the Holocaust because of two facts. First, the writer points out that the Nazis considered themselves to be Christians and often claimed to be working for the greater glory of God. Second, the writer notes that the Nazis targeted Jews, along with smaller groups of other people for extermination. In this paper the writer looks at three different approaches to this subject. The writer describes how Dietrich Bonhoeffer struggled with the conflict between his pacifist beliefs and the recognition that one man, Adolf Hitler, was responsible for the worst atrocities ever seen by humankind until that point. By comparison, the writer notes that Pope John Paul II lived through World War II and he openly grieved for the loss of all Holocaust victims and led his followers to recognize what happened and grieve for that loss as well. Further, the writer examines the views of Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust, who believes that Christian religious leaders did not do enough during the Holocaust and that they have not accepted full responsibility for their failure to try to prevent it.

From the Paper:

"Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran minister in Nazi Germany, was a pacifist who participated in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler. In studying the Sermon on the Mount, he concluded that rather than flee from Germany he had to remain and work from within. He was caught and imprisoned in Germany, and executed shortly before Germany was liberated by the Allies. He believed that to live as a responsible Christian one had to act in ways appropriate to what Jesus Christ wanted for His followers. To Bonhoeffer that required active opposition to Hitler and his genocidal policies. He saw an important distinction between abstract principles and the act of living responsibly every day. It logically followed that working to eliminate Hitler was a religiously responsible thing to do. More simply put, he realized that if one is not part of the solution, then one is part of the problem."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Friedlander, Albert H. 2002. "Pius XII and the Jews: The Clash between History and Theology." European Judaism, Vol. 35.
• Huber, Wolfgang. 1995. "Answering for the Past, Shaping the Future: In Memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer." The Ecumenical Review, Vol. 47.
• John Paul II, Pope. 2000. "Holocaust Speech." March 23. Accessed via the Internet 3/7/06. <http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/Pope_John_Paul/index.htm>
• Kolbert, Jack. The Worlds of Elie Wiesel: An Overview of His Career and His Major Themes. Susquehanna University Press, 2001
• Littell, Franklin H. 1999. "The Holocaust and the Christians." Journal of Church and State, September.

More papers on Religion and the Holocaust:

• Cause and Effect Essay # 117083 : "The Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Identity"
• Argumentative Essay # 54667 : "Early Christian Roots of the Holocaust"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 114828 : "The Holocaust"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: