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This is from one of the books I'm reading for my religion class. “Major World Religions” edited by Lloyd Ridgeon (available at Questia). Each section is written by a diffrent author, an expert in the particular religion discussed I assume.In the Judaism chapter, I'm finding it difficult to get past the author's obvious anti-Christian sentiment. Other than that, it's quite informative.Anyway in a section about the Holocuast there is this paragraph:
Third, the fact that the Holocaust was the climactic outcome of the deliberate anti-Semitism built into the Christian definition of European civilization means that it cannot be pushed aside as a Nazi aberration. Without the active or passive complicity of the majority of Christian Europeans the Holocaust would have been impossible, for where local populations actively opposed the Third Reich?s plans, Jewish communities had a much greater chance of survival. The murder of six million Jews was in general Christian Europe?s responsibility, despite the existence of honourable exceptions, and the formal end of the Nazi regime has not eradicated that guilt. Thus the uniqueness of the Holocaust is at least in part a consequence of the special nature of anti-Semitism in Europe, and in those regions to which it has been exported.
The whole paragraph, but mainly the parts I underlined are making me go "Huh?" My immediate thought was, well if it wasn't for these "complicit" European and American Christians who fought and gave their lives fighting Germany, the Jews and everyone else the Germans thought as inferior, would be completely eradicated.What do you folks think?
That is exactly what crossed my mind. If not for “Christian Europeans”, the entire Jewish population within Europe may have been wiped out. Of course we could also say that it was the fault of non-Christians which led to the genocide, or the fault of non-practicing Christians. It's somewhat ridiculous for the author to bring up that argument, and I don't think we should take him all that seriously because of it.
I have no problem saying blame the Nazis.One thing I've learned, when having a dialogue with other religions, don't write like this author. :-
Sounds like a New-Left Historian to me. I had a run in with a professor who held similar views only against America saying we were the Anti-Semites blah blah blah. I won't go into it here, but suffice it to say, we had words, I dropper her class, and I proved her wrong all in one fatal swoop. 🙂
Probably. Thankfully, it's just this one chapter out of the book. The 2 other reading assignments on Judaism, as well as the other religion chapters, were quite informative….because the authors stuck with religion and left out the politics and personal opinions.
The whole paragraph, but mainly the parts I underlined are making me go “Huh?” My immediate thought was, well if it wasn't for these “complicit” European and American Christians who fought and gave their lives fighting Germany, the Jews and everyone else the Germans thought as inferior, would be completely eradicated.What do you folks think?
I have to agree with you but some folks are so set in their agenda that they simply cannot see good in anyone. They cant see the forest for the trees, if you will. I also think that some folks just enjoy playing the victim, it would upset their worldview to acknowledge that evil is not genetic or societal but rather an individual trait.
