by Hannah Curtis

Created on: November 13, 2008

A number of theologians and survivors have wrestled with the question who is to blame for the Holocaust. One view commonly held by Jews revolves around Christianity and their involvement in the Holocaust and past anti-Semitic activity. The question which has confounded millions since the event is, how could such a horrendous event occur within a Christian country?

The roots of anti-Semitism date back to as early as the Roman Empire. As the religion of Christianity became established, the new Christians blamed the Jews for killing Jesus, and thus hostility arose between the two faiths based on religious grounds. It was implied in the Early Church that of the two Faiths, Christianity was the superior, and this exclusion and undermining of Judaism continued for centuries. Scripture was misquoted and used against the Jews; the interpretation of the New Testament was anti-Semitic. In hindsight we can now see how this anti-Semitism, could so easily move from religious exclusion to social exclusion and extermination by the hand of a mad dictator. Just as Christ's name had in the past been used as justification for the Holy Wars, so too it was attached to Hitler's scheme.

As a result of the harsh Treaty, Germany suffered immensely as the economy collapsed, the population was starving and unemployed. This led to a culture of resentment, which in turn led to the uprising of Nazi Germany. Hitler united the people, by instilling hatred of the Jews. The secular German Jews were wealthy and powerful, controlling many businesses and finance, consequently Hitler blamed them for the economy collapse. Also he was supported by his 'purity of race' argument by influential medical professionals who believed that due to genetics, Jews, gypsies etc were an inferior breed, a type of sub human. As a result of a mixture of the population's ignorance, support and passivity the horrific massacre of the Jews resulted. This was beliefs held within a Westernised, Christian country.

The response from the Christian Church in regards to the Holocaust was varied. There were Church leaders who spoke out against the atrocity, and Christian members and organisations helped to place Jewish children in orphanages and Christian homes. Catholic priests and Protestant pastors forged documents for them. However there were also Christian individuals who fully supported Hitler and the Nazi regime; "Lutheran Pastor Ernst Biberstein was commander of Elnsatzkommando 6, which massacred thousands in UkraineCatholic

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