Reply #68: You can't really prove whether Hitler was or wasn't a Christian...

[antigone382]

...so what does it matter? Only Hitler himself ever knew the legitimacy of his faith, and he sure ain't tellin' now. At best, we must rely on his own words and the accounts of those who knew him to ascertain some picture of his motivations and inspiration; and considering the unparalleled talent he had for manipulating his own image, how accurate can we really expect either of those resources to be? Personally, I have my doubts as to Hitler's genuine belief in anything but Hitler. Like I said, though, there's no way to prove definitively what he did or didn't believe, so why even try?

Nevertheless, the fact is that his use of Christian imagery and expressions was embraced by millions of German Christians. They in turn viewed their brutal actions and/or lack of action during the Holocaust as the only legitimate expression of their faith. In this way you can argue that members of the Christian faith are responsible to some extent for allowing the Holocaust to occur; however, it must also be remembered that there were millions of Christians who were repulsed by what Hitler was preaching, and who viewed their resistance to such brutality, and the mortal peril which such resistance put them in, as the only legitimate expression of their faith as well.