Something to think about before you wish someone a Happy Holidays:
Nazi Germany celebrated Christmas without Christ with the help of swastika tree baubles, ‘Germanic’ cookies and a host of manufactured traditions, a new exhibition has shown.
The way the celebration was gradually taken over and exploited for propaganda purposes by Hitler’s Nazis is detailed in a new exhibition.
Rita Breuer has spent years scouring flea markets for old German Christmas ornaments.
She and her daughter Judith developed a fascination with the way Christmas was used by the atheist Nazis, who tried to turn it into a pagan winter solstice celebration.
‘Christmas was a provocation for the Nazis – after all, the baby Jesus was a Jewish child,’ Judith Breuer told the German newspaper Spiegel. ‘The most important celebration in the year didn’t fit with their racist beliefs so they had to react, by trying to make it less Christian.’
“the atheist Nazis,”
Yes, those horrible atheists with “God with us” written on their belt buckles and the support of the Vatican. Darn those atheists.
Yes, I can see that morsecode and others can reasonably point to some signs of theism in the Nazi movement/state (but the Vatican “support” will be hotly contested). While it was useful to Hitler/the Nazis to appeal to Christianity, particularly at first (Germany had after all been a Christian nation for centuries, and most of the possible-constituency of the fledgling party was Christian), and a bit of “God talk” does politicians a lot of good (eg. Tony Blair, here in Britain); but there is also clear evidence that Naziism was at heart anti-Christian, and probably occultist (books have been written on the Nazi use of all kinds of occultism, and their loathing of aspects of Christianity). Others contend that it was essentially a homosexualist movement, but appealed to the traditional family since perpetuating the Nazi state (new babies) was vital. Others point to the importance of Darwinism …
“but there is also clear evidence that Naziism was at heart anti-Christian, and probably occultist ”
Which would still make it religious in nature, not atheist in the least.
“Others contend that it was essentially a homosexualist movement,”
If you ignore all the homosexuals they put to death.
“Others point to the importance of Darwinism”
If evolutionary biology was in any way a philosophy or worldview, you’d have a decent point. As it’s neither, you don’t.
Morsecode: The “theism” of occultism depends a lot on what you think occultism actually consists of. It is often just a kind of power thing, using magic to get what you want – even the flipside of science (it’s been said that Satanists worship no one, not even Satan, just use Satanism to get power). If religion means just ritual, then occultists/New Ageists do a bit of that, but at base, they’re materialists; they’re certainly not theists in any sense. The Nazism/homosexualism people argue that “killing gays” is just a blind/deception which lot’s of people fall for; I’m not saying I’m 100% with their view, myself, but they have good arguments/evidence. The strongest supporters of Darwinism/evolutionism are certain that it’s not just something about a few birds and insects, but a Theory of Everything, a worldview/value system – the pillar supporting materialism – and as such this worldview always appealed, always will, to totalitarians (whether they call themselves “Left”, “Right” or “Scientific”); Darwinism supports/promotes a worldview in which the individual is nothing, the race, nation, people, whatever, is everything – perfect for Hitler, Stalin, Mao and others (Mao greatly admired Darwin; body-count: 60/70m). But I imagine the totalitarians would be happy with having people believe Darwinism is just a bit of biology.
“they’re certainly not theists in any sense. ”
I called it religion, not theism. Which is what it clearly is. If nothing else, it’s supernatural based, which had nothing to do with atheism.
“The strongest supporters of Darwinism/evolutionism are certain that it’s not just something about a few birds and insects, but a Theory of Everything”
Really? By all means, show me these people. And demonstrate that they even understand what evolution is.
It’s a biological process. It isn’t a worldview.
“perfect for Hitler, Stalin, Mao and others”
Hitler, who specifically banned all of Darwin’s works.
“Mao greatly admired Darwin; body-count: 60/70m”
And Hitler was a vegetarian and liked dogs, so vegetarianism and having pets must be wrong?