Positive Christianity

Positive Christianity is a slogan of Nazi propaganda in which the NSDAP spent their own worldview opposite combative in its party program of 1920 as Christian, denominationally independent, the "Jewish- materialistic " spirit and is based on the principle of nationalist- racist -understood common -interest.

The concept of " positive Christianity " had in the philosophy of religion of the Enlightenment in terms of " positive religion" ( religio posita or positiva ) as an analogy to the concept of positive law, the character of Christianity as a revealed religion and institutionalized religion in contrast to natural religion and reason Religion. In this traditional understanding of the term recognized Christian theologians during the critical confrontation with National Socialism sometimes go when they stressed that only " scriptural ", the biblical revelation and not a political party pursuant might mean "positive".

However, the Nazi ideology drew on this notion tradition, but turned instead " positive " and " negative " Christianity (Alfred Rosenberg ) opposite each other, so the one's own ideology commensurable or issued by it as a Christian, sometimes quite actually neo- content than the Jewish church or denominational depraved rejected items should on the one hand and on the other hand are conceptually separate.

The self-presentation as a " positive Christianity " here joined in the party program of 1920 with the demand for " freedom for all religious denominations in the State ," but this provided with a substantial limitation " if they do not its existence " (ie of the Nazi state ) " endanger or against the morals and moral sense of the Germanic race violated ". In contrast the Marxist and social democratic parties, but also of the public perception of their own anti-Christian and anti-clerical tendencies, the NSDAP tried thus to give the appearance of a party that faced the Christianity and the churches with critical open-mindedness and also the large number of people a had to offer home, which alienated the churches, but Christian values ​​continue to feel connected.