My point is that by denying the obvious statements of Hitler where he was utilizing the traditional pogrom language of European Christians intent on whipping up violence against Jews; we deny the reality of there being an dark underbelly of “Christian” thought that is deeply and vehemently antisemitic.
Have your read Martin Luther? Hitler seemed to inherit Luther's thinking on what to do about the “Jewish problem”.
“What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews? Since they live among us, we dare not tolerate their conduct, now that we are aware of their lying and reviling and blaspheming. If we do, we become sharers in their lies, cursing and blasphemy. Thus we cannot extinguish the unquenchable fire of divine wrath, of which the prophets speak, nor can we convert the Jews. With prayer and the fear of God we must practice a sharp mercy to see whether we might save at least a few from the glowing flames. We dare not avenge ourselves. Vengeance a thousand times worse than we could wish them already has them by the throat. I shall give you my sincere advice:
First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians, and do not condone or knowingly tolerate such public lying, cursing, and blaspheming of his Son and of his Christians. For whatever we tolerated in the past unknowingly_and I myself was unaware of it_will be pardoned by God. But if we, now that we are informed, were to protect and shield such a house for the Jews, existing right before our very nose, in which they lie about, blaspheme, curse, vilify, and defame Christ and us (as was heard above), it would be the same as if we were doing all this and even worse ourselves, as we very well know.” Martin Luther “On the Jews and their Lies”
we deny the reality of there being an dark underbelly of “Christian” thought that is deeply and vehemently antisemitic.
Curious, why is it you put “Christian” in that way?
Is it because there IS no reality you speak of? I can’t find any anti-semitism in the NT. Anywhere.
Just like I can’t find wiping native Americans off the map, etc. etc. etc.