Page 177 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

164 The American Diplomats

warden Julius leutheusser declared, “[w]e have but one task; and that is,
to become Germans—not Christians.” the same church dignitary referred
to Hitler as the “‘saviour’ of all Germans.” in a speech in June 1934, Göring
insisted that the education of the country’s youth must be controlled by the
state alone. “if the Church says she comes first and then the people, i say that
God did not create German Catholics or Protestants, but He gave them His
soul in a German body with German blood.” Nevertheless, Göring categori-
cally denied that the Nazi authorities were hostile to religion or that they
wished to prevent people from practicing their faith. 45
the transformation of the nation’s largest religious institution did not
proceed without a considerable amount of friction. Hitler favored the
changes, but he understood the sensitivity of the issue, and therefore pub-
licly stated that he recognized the independence of the evangelical Church
and even granted that the program of the German Christians violated that
principle. But in actuality he strongly supported outspoken Nazis in the
church. For example, he frequently conferred with his friend ludwig Mül-
ler, a clergyman who was a candidate for the leadership of the evangeli-
cal Church. the Führer directed that Müller be granted free access to the
government-controlled radio, and the authorities in Prussia withheld funds
from churches that rejected the new trends.
Many pastors considered Müller unfit for the position because he lacked
administrative experience and, more important, because he held views far
out of the mainstream. it was widely assumed that he had become a viable
candidate only because he had fawned over Hitler. On one occasion, he had
predicted that history would honor the chancellor “for winning respect for
the conception of blood purity.” Müller had also announced that although
he was prepared to baptize a Jew he would not allow the convert to serve
as a pastor. if a baptized Jew set his heart on the profession of pastor, he
should work as a missionary among the Jews. it was primarily because
46
of the government’s support that Müller was elected reich bishop (Reichs­
bischof) or head of the evangelical Church on september 27, 1933. 47
the formal installation of Müller a year later as the reich bishop and
primate of the evangelical Church at the Protestant Cathedral in Berlin
turned out to be a glaring demonstration of how influential the Nazis had
become in the religious life of Germany. several senior government officials
attended the proceedings, as did many ss and sa men in their uniforms.
they frequently gave the Nazi salute within the church. the service was
broadcast by loudspeakers, but only a “moderate sized crowd” could be
seen outside the cathedral. 48