Debate Tips: Was Hitler a Christain?

So you're on a forum or a social network, minding your own business, when the unthinkable happens.  A religious discussion breaks out.

Before long, somebody just has to mention the Crusades.  It always happens.  But then, right after the old and worn-out "Crusades-were-bad-so-religion-is-bad" argument, comes a different argument.  One you may or may not be familiar with.  An argument that some people (including me) have a hard time believing exists.

"Oh yeah?  Well, Hitler was a Christian!"

What?  Are you kidding me?

This is an argument that I've seen pop up recently in online debates with Atheists.  It stunned me the first time I saw it.  It's one of those statements that I hadn't prepared to counter, because it seemed so ridiculous that anyone could believe such a thing.  But some people do believe that Hitler was a Christian, so we need to be prepared to properly counter this point if or when it comes up.  That's why I've written this post.

There are several ways you could go about taking this argument down.  The long way would be to focus on the "Hitler" part of the statement "Hitler was a Christian."  You'd dig up anti-Christian Hitler quotes, probably.  You'd maybe talk about how Hitler replaced Bibles with Mein Kampf, or how he endorsed anti-Christian things such as Eugenics.

Chances are, if your opponents know Hitler very well, they'll be able to respond easily.  They could find as many pro-Christian Hitler quotes as you did anti-Christian quotes (they're out there, believe it or not), and they might tell you about how Hitler was Baptized into the Catholic Church and was an altar boy in his youth, etc, etc.

You'll probably end up getting stuck; neither side gaining any ground on this point, arguing about who Hitler was instead of the original topic of religion.  This is why I prefer the shorter ways.

"So what?" is always a good question to ask.  Hitler was one person, just one.  You can't paint all of Christianity or religion as evil based on the actions of one person. That's called a part-to-whole fallacy, a mistake in their logic.  Though profoundly true as well as short and sweet, I think that there is an even better way to take this argument down.

Instead of focusing the "Hitler" part of "Hitler was a Christian," focus on the "Christian" part.  Define exactly what a Christian is, set up a standard, and see if Hitler fits the mold.

So, what defines a Christian?  Many dictionaries define a Christian simply as someone who professes belief in Jesus Christ.  I couldn't disagree more with that definition!  Satan himself and all of the devils with him believe -- in fact, know -- that Jesus exists (James 2:19), and I think it's obvious that they are not Christians.

So instead of using the dictionary definitions, let's find some attributes from scripture that say what a Christian should be like.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’"

We see that just because a person says they're a Christian, doesn't mean they are one. So how do you know if somebody is a Christian? A few verses before the last passage, Jesus says:
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:16-20)

How a person lives their life, the things they do and the way they act, these are the outward signs (or "fruits") of what is going on in their hearts.  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."  Those are the words of Jesus, from Matthew 12:35.  If a person is truly a Christian, we will be able to see it in their lives by the fruit they bear.

But how can we tell the difference between good fruit and bad fruit?  The Bible gives us some clear guidelines on this point.  In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  So that's what good fruit looks like.  What about bad fruit?  Paul helps us to identify those as well.  Earlier in that same passage, Paul says: "Now the works [or fruits] of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).

So now that we know which fruits are good and which fruits are bad, let's go over them again and see which ones Hitler produced.  Good fruits: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  When we look at Hitler's actions, the things he did as well as the things he commanded or condoned, we do not see these fruits.

Bad fruits: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.  Wow.  Hitler may not have been into witchcraft or adultery (as far as we know), but I think we can all agree that at least hatred, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, murders, and the like practically defined Hitler's career.

Actions speak louder than words.  With this knowledge, it doesn't matter how many Hitler quotes your opponents can find to support their claim.  By the definitions of Jesus and Paul, Hitler's actions clearly show that he was not a Christian.  I think it's safe to say that Jesus and Paul know what they're talking about when it comes to Christianity.

So next time you're having a debate or discussion--online or offline--and somebody makes the point that Hitler was a Christian, you are properly equipped to defend against it.