Voting Activity 6.5: Did the churches oppose the Nazis?
Martin Niemöller (Pastor Niemöller) First World War hero Most prominent critic of Nazis Disliked Reich Church Formed Confessional Church Put into concentration camp
Paul Schneider Small-town pastor Arrested 1934 – ignored warnings to stop criticising Nazis Buchenwald concentration camp, 1937 Tortured viciously but never caved in Sent to concentration camp, 1938 Hitler ordered his death, but he survived
Cardinal Galen Publicly attacked Nazi policies, 1934 Revealed euthanasia programme, 1941 Led campaign and got it stopped Nazis left Galen alone so as not to make him a martyr Goebbels believed that attacking Galen would make large sections of Germany hostile
Josef Fath Catholic priest in small village of Leidersbach Ignored bans on church feast days Undermined local Nazi schoolteacher and Hitler Youth leaders Agitated over issue of crucifixes in schools
Jehovah’s Witnesses Lived according to own beliefs, not government orders Most Jehovah’s Witnesses ended up in camps and one-third died
Which individual or group posed the biggest problem for the Nazis? 1.Niemöller 2.Schneider 3.Galen 4.Fath 5.Jehovah’s Witnesses
Which individual or group do you admire the most? 1.Niemöller 2.Schneider 3.Galen 4.Fath 5.Jehovah’s Witnesses