German Faith Movement

The German Faith Movement was in the time of National Socialism, 1933-1945, a religious, marked by völkischem thought movement which rejected Christianity and wanted to replace it with an " Aryan- Nordic " faith.

Religious and ideological origin

Founded in 1933 " German believers Movement" led from their religious considerations from the popular Christianity. The ideological origin is based on the " species-specific piety " and finds its approaches in ariosophy. The term ariosophy derived from "Aryan " and " wisdom " is intended to mean " wisdom of the Aryans ". For the German Faith Movement, this meant that a " conspecific piety " is tied to a particular people or a race. It was "Aryan " equated with " Germanic ". It included a collection of many Neopagan movement and free religious groups and strove for the churches a comparable corporate status. The group was composed of numerous (formerly communist ) freethinker. Herman Wirth was one of those who tried to reinterpret Christianity in the ethnic sense and propagated a Nordic origin of the original monotheism.

History

On 29 and July 30, 1933 Jakob Wilhelm Hauer brought together the most important religious free, free Protestant, religious - nationalist and German believing groups in Eisenach. The various religious groups were a common call "to the men of a Germanic- German Faith Movement " followed, among others, by Hauer, Ernst Bergmann and Arthur Drews and well-known representatives of the nationalist camp as Ludwig Fahrenkrog, Bernhard Kummer, Gustav Neckel, Herman Wirth, Theodor Fritsch, Ernst was signed to Reventlow, Schwaner Wilhelm and Georg Stammler.

In the Eisenach meeting the Working Group of the German Faith Movement (ADG ) was established, to which merged the most important German believing groups: the Germanic religious community, the people stem the Nordungen, the Nordic community of faith, the Rig - circle, the eagles and hawks, the German believers Community, the Nordic - religious study group as well as members of the Friends of the coming community. At the top of this working group were Hauer and a Führerrat. The federal government free of religious communities should be integrated into the ADG. The official free religious representatives occurred during the Eisenach Conference of ADG in, but made ​​this admission after a council meeting immediately reversed. It was said of the members of free religion in circulars of the ADG # 1 of 1 August 1933 the Eisenach Conference: " The accession of the free religious was reported as not yet taken place ." If the free Religious expected to membership of the German Faith Movement, came estimation have one seventh ( 60000-90000 ) from the free religious and not ethnic groups.

The members of the leader of the Council included, in addition Hauer, the philosopher Ernst Bergmann (1881-1945), the Rassenideologe Hans FK Günther, the writer Ernst zu Reventlow ( Amt Rosenberg ), Hermann Mandel, the historian Herman Wirth and Ludwig Fahrenkrog and Lothar Stengel von Rutkowski ( eagles and hawks ), the religious scholars Otto Huth for the working Group for biocentric research, some Johann von Leers and Matthes Ziegler ( Amt Rosenberg ) of the same group.

In May 1935 it was decided to convert to the unified German Faith Movement (DG). Despite the radicalization of the working group German Faith Movement emerged from the German -believing communities. Within the DG there was during the time of their existence great tensions between the ethnic federations (eg the Köngener Bund) and liberal frets (eg the free religious ). Source of conflict was, inter alia, the discussion of how much the DG should orient to suspected Germanic religious role models or of modernity and how directly challenge the Christian churches are.

The German Faith Movement which led Jakob Wilhelm Hauer together with Ernst zu Reventlow had to be the goal, not an official Christian denomination and equal footing with the churches. Member was only allowed to be who was not a member of any other religious community.

On April 26, 1935, the German Faith Movement held an event at the Berlin Sports Palace. She had, according to Fritz Gericke 18,000 participants; one of the main speakers was Hauer. On the edge of the rally, there was a palpable conflict with groups of Christians present, during which, among other things the later pastor Siegbert Stehmann was injured.

After the event, the tensions between the leadership of DG to Hauer and Gericke reinforced on the one hand and their Nazi parts on the other. The change of leadership in the DG ( Hauer's confidant and head of the national community in Berlin, Fritz Gericke, resigned in July 1935 back, Hauer resigned in March 1936, and shortly thereafter from the DG of even Reventlow resigned and left the DG) was the result of efforts Nazi members of the Society have been, DG " impose by all means " their will. An active in the DG group of Nazis have the DG want to make the extended arm of the SS in the fight against the Christian churches. Either Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich or delegated bodies of SS and SD have been behind the resignation claims against Hauer and Gericke. NS near Critics accused Gericke and Hauer et al ago to lead the confrontation with the Christian churches in the " noble tone ". However, it was necessary to have a harder form of confrontation against the " main enemy " in Rome. The DG had to be the NSDAP in this issue, " vanguard ". Gericke and Hauer would not have satisfied this requirement.

Following the resignation of Hauer and Reventlow, the movement came entirely under the control of the SS and joined a Nazi phase. A suitable new "leader" is not found. Finally, in October 1936 by Walter Lingelsheim new "leader". At the same time founded Herbert Grabert and Hans Kurth a new, but short-lived German believers movement. Hauer founded the Friends of camaraderie arttreuen faith and contained political and anti-Christian opinions. In February 1937 Hauer led the German magazine on faith, established himself on an Aryan philosophy and gave their previous anticlerical orientation. In February 1937, the lawyer Bernhard Wiedenhöft " leader" of the DG, which on May 6, 1938 on pressure from Nazi authorities were interfering on the notion of movement, renamed Fighting Ring German faith was. Hauer declined in November 1938 from him again been transmitted leadership. In November 1938, the kingdom of god ring believing Germans broke away from the fight ring.

The worldview of the German Faith Movement describes Stefan Breuer as para- and anti-Christian, on this side of religious, non- theistic and heroic- ethical.

Magazines

As a newsletter for members and propaganda organ was used until 1944, the German magazine faith that was subtitled Journal of conspecific lifestyle, world view and piety. The contact end of 1936 was 4000. Starting in 1936, they appeared under the new subtitle Journal of conspecific lives.

In addition to the Germans belief magazine breakthrough was 1934 - the fight Journal for German faith, race and nationality founded in 1937 but reinstated. The breakthrough was intended for an audience that is simpler reasoning was used, was always aggressive and polemical, as well as particularly clear anticlerical. The zu Reventlow, edited by Ernst since 1920 magazine Reichswart. Weekly for national independence and German socialism was in 1935/36 the subtitle National Socialist weekly. Organ of the German Faith Movement.

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