# was Hitler a Christian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455 "2013-01-08T06:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/1 "2013-01-08T06:17:22Z")
If so, is he in heaven? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/2 "2013-01-08T06:40:53Z")
Valhalla, perhaps. Where he gets cut to pieces every day. Hell to one culture is Heaven to another. ---
**Author:** ![Sevencl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sevencl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevencl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/3 "2013-01-08T06:45:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Valhalla, perhaps. Where he gets cut to pieces every day. Hell to one culture is Heaven to another. Suicides go to Hel, not Valhalla. EDIT: not Folkvangr, either. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/4 "2013-01-08T07:00:24Z")
We’ve done this one a lot. > **[Was Hitler a Christian?](https://www.straightdope.com/21342840/was-hitler-a-christian)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD > **[Was Hitler a Christian(And why clarity is important on this issue)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=369775)** > > Hitler’s own methods of propaganda and manipulation are still being used in all countries to justify hate crimes. On the part of the KKK, the Aryan Nation, and others more and less subtle, people are being twisted and exploited in much the same... > **[Hitler a Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402112)** > > There was a very comprehensive report on the matter, then at the end, they went and blew it :smack: “Do you know what? Hitler was a vegetarian!” and in one line they buy in to another Hitler urban myth. As good a concept as it is, Hitler’s... > **["Was Hitler a Christian"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=105357)** > > I just finished Christianity on Trial by Vincent Carroll & David Shiflett and decided to Google the quote “One is either a Christian or a German” One of the listings was SDMB staff reports: Was Hitler a Christian? In this report it is stated: ... > **[Was Hitler Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=2416)** > > David answers this question in today’s Mailbag Answers. I have one further question. A certain someone in my life (known for pulling “facts” out of thin air) would have me believe that Hitler’s parents were, in fact, Jewish, and that his father died... > **[Was Hitler a Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=579662)** > > This is in reference to the Was Hitler a Christian? staff entry. True, we must bear in mind that Hitler was a great manipulator and not above pandering to the masses, so we should ask ourselves at least this question. If Hitler did hate... > **[Was Hitler a Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=185791)** > > I believe he was raised Catholic, but is there any evidence he considered himself a Christian as a an adult? Hitler in Heaven?: > **[Hitler going to Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=263286)** > > If Adolf Hitler had not killed himself, but been captured, and before being put to death (which I expect would 've been about as open-and-shut case as we’ve ever seen) he did whatever neccesary in your religion to achieve the state neccesary to enter... > **[Did Hitler get into heaven?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402585)** > > If Jesus died for our sins, did Hitler get a pass? > **[Could Hitler have gone to heaven?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=59118)** > > As an observant Jew, I have only a rudimentary knowledge of Christianity. I must admit that I’ve learned a lot from perusing various posts and discussions on the SDMB. Therefore, I would appreciate an answer from anyone “in the know” out there about... > **[Hitler and Hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=176762)** > > Many Christians say that Hell is needed because justice is not always served in life. They often use the fact that Hitler was never punished for his crimes. However, according to Christian belief, if Hitler repented of his sins, he would not be... > **[What if Hitler repented?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=119746)** > > Right before he died, what if Hitler prayed to God and repented for his evil, and begged God for forgiveness. Would he get it? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/5 "2013-01-08T11:06:08Z")
> [@copperwindow](#): > > If so, is he in heaven? Anyone who professes to be a Christian is a Christian as far as I am concerned. Whether they are a \*good \*Christian or not is up to the interpretation of the tenets of their sect, and ultimately, God. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/6 "2013-01-08T13:29:58Z")
Do you know who _else_ was a [Christian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_life_of_Joseph_Stalin#Education)? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/7 "2013-01-08T14:04:37Z")
Hitler & Stalin were, respectively, a heretic & an apostate, violating in the worst way the Second Greatest Commandment of ‘loving’ or even behaving remotely decently to others, and thus are in Hades & headed for Gehenna. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/8 "2013-01-08T14:23:35Z")
Hitler met the requirements to be called a Christian, which is simply for him to refer to himself as one. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote: “I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord…” He is not in heaven, since the place is mythical. But according to the particular flavor of the Christian faith that I grew up in, a suicide cannot go to heaven since he or she has committed murder and cannot repent. Other flavors will vary, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/9 "2013-01-08T14:30:29Z")
He may have considered himself a Christian, and in that case the rest of us may be obliged to, but [this passage](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21-23&version=NKJV) may well apply - and Hitler can’t even claim having practised supernatural wonders, either. But - even where Hitler’s concerned - “it’s not up to me”. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/10 "2013-01-08T18:52:15Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Hitler met the requirements to be called a Christian, which is simply for him to refer to himself as one. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote: “I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord..” I’m not quite certain what the “requirements” are, but he clearly held considerable attempt for Christians during his actual period in power, as did many or most top Nazis. Their personal beliefs are not clear; their statements more so and their actions very blatant. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/11 "2013-01-08T21:29:05Z")
Hitler’s behavior was that of a Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/12 "2013-01-08T21:57:50Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’m not quite certain what the “requirements” are, but he clearly held considerable attempt for Christians during his actual period in power, as did many or most top Nazis. Their personal beliefs are not clear; their statements more so and their actions very blatant. Did you mean “contempt” instead of “attempt”? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/13 "2013-01-08T21:59:22Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Hitler & Stalin were, respectively, a heretic & an apostate, violating in the worst way the Second Greatest Commandment of ‘loving’ or even behaving remotely decently to others, and thus are in Hades & headed for Gehenna. Aren’t those specific names proprietary to other religions than Christianity? Or was it a genteel way of avoiding saying the unpleasant name of the place of perdition? I always loved the way Dante swiped Hades, Tartarus, Styx, etc. from Greek mythology, but I don’t think any modern theologians take it seriously. In a way, it’s a pity. Dante’s vision was remarkably rich and vivid. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/14 "2013-01-08T22:03:32Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > Hitler’s behavior was that of a Christian. I’d peg him as a _bit_ of an outlier. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/15 "2013-01-08T22:24:20Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > I’d peg him as a _bit_ of an outlier. Not really. Tyranny, ruthless conquest and killing Jews after blaming them for all your problems are very Christian. Just look at history. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/16 "2013-01-08T22:28:14Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Not really. Tyranny, ruthless conquest and killing Jews after blaming them for all your problems are very Christian. Just look at history. Even assuming tyranny and genocide are common traits, he’d still be an outlier in terms of stunning personal acheivement in those fields. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/17 "2013-01-08T22:37:53Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Even assuming tyranny and genocide are common traits, he’d still be an outlier in terms of stunning personal acheivement in those fields. Better weapons, better organization, and more people alive to _be_ killed. That’s all less about him as it is about when and where he lived. If anything one of his distinguishing personal features is that he was a throwback; I doubt his style of rulership would have stood out that much if he’d been a monarch a century or two earlier. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/18 "2013-01-08T22:44:10Z")
I swear, this is the last time I waste my A-list Hitler material on this crowd. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/19 "2013-01-08T23:19:20Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Did you mean “contempt” instead of “attempt”? Yes. And this is why I should always preview, but I probably still won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455/20 "2013-01-09T02:31:41Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > Hitler’s behavior was that of a Christian. Really? Jesus would have approved of Hitler’s behavior? How so? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian/646455.md?page=2)