A "Sun cross", adopted as the sign of the German Faith Movement because it resembles both a cross and a swastika

Positive Christianity is a term used in Nazi ideology to refer to a form of "Christianity" consistent with Nazism. According to Alfred Rosenberg conventional Christianity emphasisied the passive rather than the active aspects of Christ's life because of its stress on the theology of sacrifice and other-worldly redemption. This needed to be replaced by a "positive" emphasis on Christ as an active preacher and organiser who opposed the institutionalised Judaism of his day. At various points in the Nazi regime attempts were made to replace orthodox Christianity with its "positive" alternative. Image File history File links Broken_crossed_circle. ... Image File history File links Broken_crossed_circle. ... A Caddo solar cross, to Southeastern Native Americans a symbol of both the sun and fire. ... For other uses, see Cross (disambiguation). ... A right-facing Swastika in decorative Hindu form For the town in Ontario, see Swastika, Ontario. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nazism. ... Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Rosenberg (January 12, 1893–October 16, 1946) was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi party, who later held several important posts in the Nazi government. ...

Origins of the idea

Positive Christianity grew out of the Higher Criticism of the nineteenth century, with its emphasis on the distinction between the historical Jesus, and the divine Jesus of theology. According to some schools of thought, the saviour-figure of orthodox Christianity was very different from the historical Galilean preacher. While many such scholars sought to place Jesus in the context of ancient Judaism, some writers reconstructed an historical Jesus who corresponded to anti-Semitic ideology. In the writings of such anti-Semites as Emile Burnouf, Houston Stewart Chamberlain and Paul de Lagarde Jesus was redefined as an "Aryan" hero who struggled against Judaism. Such writers either rejected or minimised the miraculous aspects of Gospel narratives, reducing the crucifixion to a tragic coda to Jesus's life rather than its prefigured culmination. Both Burnouf and Chamberlain argued that the population of Galilee was racially distinct from that of Judea. Lagarde insisted that German Christianity must become "national" in character. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Historical-Critical Method. ... This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. ... Emile Burnouf (dates??) was a leading nineteenth-century Orientalist and racialist whose ideas influenced the development of theosophy and Aryanism. ... Houston Stewart Chamberlain Houston Stewart Chamberlain (September 9, 1855 - January 9, 1927) was a British author noted for his works concerning the Aryan race. ... Paul Anton de Lagarde (2 November 1827 - 22 December 1891) was a German biblical scholar and orientalist. ... Aryan is an English word derived from the Indian Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Avestan terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. The Sanskrit and Old Persian languages both pronounced the word as arya-. Beyond its use as the ethnic self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Iranians... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. ...

In Nazi ideology

Image of Jesus as an icon of Nordic "racial purity" from the Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer; he is glaring at "racially alien" Jewish converts to Christianity.

Such ideas were eagerly siezed upon by the Nazi movement which circulated them in its journals such as Der Stürmer and Völkischer Beobachter, both of which stressed the "Nordic" character of Jesus. Alfred Rosenberg, editor of the latter, further developed the concept in The Myth of the Twentieth Century in which he argued that the Catholic and Protestant churches had distorted Christianity in such a way that the "heroic" and "Germanic" aspects of Jesus's life had been ignored. For Rosenberg, Positive Christianity was a transitional ideology that would pave the way to the revival of fully Aryan relgions. Its symbol was the orb of the sun in the form of a sun cross. Image File history File links Sturmer_Nordic_Jesus. ... Image File history File links Sturmer_Nordic_Jesus. ... 1934 Stürmer issue: Storm above Juda 1943 Stürmer issue: Satan Der Stürmer was a weekly Nazi newspaper published by Julius Streicher from 1923 to the end of World War II in 1945. ... 1934 Stürmer issue: Storm above Juda 1943 Stürmer issue: Satan Der Stürmer was a weekly Nazi newspaper published by Julius Streicher from 1923 to the end of World War II in 1945. ... One of the last editions of the Völkischer Beobachter (April 20, 1945) hails Adolf Hitler as man of the century on the occasion of his 56th birthday, ten days before his suicide. ... Madison Grants map, from 1916, charting the distribution of the European races, with Nordic genetic influence shown in bright red. ... The Myth of the Twentieth Century (Der Mythus des 20. ... A Caddo solar cross, to Southeastern Native Americans a symbol of both the sun and fire. ...

For political reasons Hitler distanced himself from Rosenberg's more radical ideas, wishing to retain the support of the conservative Christian electorate and social elite, but he emphasised the desirability of Positive Christianity. The German Christians led by Ludwig Müller were the principal agents in Hitler's early attempt to Nazify Christianity in Germany by uniting the Protestant churches under Müller's leadership, but this proposal met resistance, as it was rejected by many Christian pastors under the leadership of Martin Niemöller. Following this failure, Hitler backtracked on attempts to directly Nazify the churches. German Christians was formed in 1932 and led by Ludwig Mueller. ... Ludwig Müller(1883-1945) was a German who headed the Protestant Reich Church. ... Rev. ...

The German Faith Movement founded by Jakob Wilhelm Hauer adopted a more thoroughly Aryanised form of the ideology, mixing aspects of Christianity with ideas derived from "Aryan" religions such as Vedic Hinduism. They attempted to separate Nazi officials from church affiliations, banning nativity plays and calling for an end to daily prayers in schools. Hinduism (Sanskrit/Hindi: ; also known as Sanatana Dharma - , and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas, and is generally regarded as one of the oldest religions still practised in the world. ...

After 1945 Postive Christianity ceased to exist as a movement. Though its politics and ethics were profoundly different, liberation theology has some elements in common with Positive Christianity. Liberation theology is an important and controversial school in the theology of the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. ...

References

• Snyder, L., (1998). Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'', Wordsworth Press.
• Steigmann-Gall, Richard (2003). The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521823714.
• Whisker, James B. (1990). The Philosophy of Alfred Rosenberg, Noontide Press. ISBN 0939482258.