German and Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller was a supporter of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Niemöller later came to regret his support and his vote for the Nazi Party. After publicly speaking against the Nazi Party about church rules, Martin Niemöller was imprisoned.
Racist and antisemitic people are not anomalies…and neither is being complicit. Bystanders with Bibles, watching humans, being destroyed…complicated Christians? America’s slave owners routinely used the Bible to justify the atrocities of slavery. Even religious people can be complicit in the presence of horrific inhumanity.
Was Martin Niemöller a bigoted bad guy, turned glorified good guy? He did call out Germans and Christians, to take accountability for their part in supporting Nazis. Niemöller, a complicated Christian, wrote a poem, First They Came, it’s still well worth a read today.
First They Came
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.