• From neo-Nazi to pastor: The Journey of Johannes Kneifel
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[QUOTE][IMG]http://www.dw.de/image/0,,15766660_401,00.jpg[/IMG] Johannes Kneifel was 17 when he beat up a man so badly that he died. After five years in prison, the former neo-Nazi has gone through a radical transformation. He is now studying theology to become a pastor. There's the occasional smile on the face of Johannes Kneifel when he talks about the radical change in his life. Once a right-wing and violent neo-Nazi, he now studies theology. It's a remarkable turnaround. In future, Kneifel will be looking after the salvation of poor souls; in the past, his life was marked by hatred and violence, binge-drinking and right-wing propaganda. The wrong friends As a teenager, Kneifel was a dyed-in-the wool neo-Nazi and racist As a teenager, Johannes Kneifel became an active member of a local neo-Nazi scene. He broke with his parents, who sent him to boarding school because they couldn't cope. "I came from a very embarrassing background," he says. The right-wing scene seemed to be just the right thing for him; it felt like a deliverance and he finally had something to be proud of, said Kneifel. At the boarding school near Hanover, he then began leading a double life. During the day he was a good student, in the evening and on weekends he lived the life of a racist. He admits that at the time he was not merely going along with it, but was actually a convinced racist. He counted on the camaraderie of the neo-Nazi scene. "I'm sure that back then Johannes had the wrong friends who were able to manipulate him more than we were able to guide him," recalls his former headmaster Eckhard Nühring. The night that changed his life Together with a fellow neo-Nazi, Kneifel then commited the crime that was to change his life. In December 1999, at the age of 17, he and a friend made their way to the house of an unemployed local resident. The 44-year-old man had been dubbed "hippie" in the town because he was a champion of peace and non-violence. The two teenagers had been drinking heavily and were intent on teaching the hippie "a lesson," because he dared to criticize them one time too often. They beat him until he was unconscious and left him behind, severely injured. The man later died in the hospital. The fatal assault landed Kneifel in Germany's largest juvenile prison – the verdict: five years in jail for voluntary manslaughter. Mental health experts at his trial attributed to him severe psychological disorders and doubted that he would ever turn away from violence. Questions and answers Prison pastor Dieter Kulks accompanied Kneifel when he broke with the right-wing scene and when he started visiting church services. For the pastor, the change in Kneifel was credible, not least because he had always acknowledged his guilt. "That's what made him ask the question, to whom he must answer for his guilt and who could forgive that guilt," Kulks recalls. "That was the beginning of asking religious questions." Johannes Kneifel left prison as a Christian and – insecure in his new-found freedom – and found stability and a sanctuary in a Baptist church congregation. Instead of right-wing propaganda, he read the Bible; instead of engineer, his new dream job was now pastor. After a one-year internship with the Baptists, Kneifel decided to study theology. His wrote down his story – from neo-Nazi to pastor – in a book. For him, it was the most painful reflection possible on his own life. For critics, it was just more evidence that the former neo-Nazi was looking for attention and wanted to make a name for himself - an accusation that Kneifel does not accept. "People who leave the right-wing scene are often pushed into silence and anonymity because with such a past it is difficult to find acceptance in society," he said. A role model Kneifel hopes to be a pastor soon Soon, Kneifel began work as a pastor in an independent protestant Baptist congregation. He wanted to work where others had also gone astray. He especially wanted to work with children and teenagers and hoped he could help them with his own biography. He says he's discovered that "with my past I can be someone to talk to for people who would have never talked to other church representatives." The most difficult thing for him is, "to keep telling myself that my guilt is redeemed and that I have the chance to start fresh; a chance given to me by God and by society." Only if he himself lives this new beginning, can he be a role model for others, he said: "I want to make people in similar situations realize that they can get out of it and that they can start a new life."[/QUOTE] SOURCE: [URL="http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16290035,00.html"]http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16290035,00.html[/URL]
Uh nazism and religion/church are hardly mutually exclusive IIRC The Catholic Church actively supported (or at least praised) NSDAP activities
as per usual christians and discrimination go hand in hand
[QUOTE=Sue Ellen;37957325]as per usual christians and discrimination go hand in hand[/QUOTE] As a guy who doesn't like Christianity on an organised scale, that's really dumb. Most Christians are perfectly fine people, don't assume that everyone is a dick because of their religion.
[QUOTE=Reds;37957640]As a guy who doesn't like Christianity on an organised scale, that's really dumb. Most Christians are perfectly fine people, don't assume that everyone is a dick because of their religion.[/QUOTE] These perfectly fine people are paying taxes to an organization that does a LOT of evil things in other areas of the world. Just like we are with our taxes though.
[QUOTE=Killuah;37957685]These perfectly fine people are paying taxes to an organization that does a LOT of evil things in other areas of the world. Just like we are with our taxes though.[/QUOTE] Christianity isn't under one organisation
Shame he wasn't signing up to the Catholic sect, Nazism and those guys go hand in hand.
[QUOTE=Carcarcargoo;37957716]Christianity isn't under one organisation[/QUOTE] The catholic church pretty much is. Also, as someone pointed out, nazism and christianity is far from mutually exclusive; just look at the Wehrmacht belt buckles (or the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_oath]Hitler oath[/url]) for an example of that: [IMG]http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/military_photos/belt-buckles-3-reich/41618d1244829241t-my-wehrmacht-belt-buckle-picture-449.jpg[/IMG] It's a nifty fabrication that the nazis were atheists (scapegoating the holocaust on atheism is a classic argument), whilst in reality they were anything but atheist.
Eh, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Butt_Naked]General Butt Naked[/url] did it first (and more extravagantly)
[QUOTE=NoS4A2;37958124]The catholic church pretty much is. Also, as someone pointed out, nazism and christianity is far from mutually exclusive; just look at the Wehrmacht belt buckles (or the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_oath"]Hitler oath[/URL]) for an example of that: [IMG]http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/military_photos/belt-buckles-3-reich/41618d1244829241t-my-wehrmacht-belt-buckle-picture-449.jpg[/IMG] It's a nifty fabrication that the nazis were atheists (scapegoating the holocaust on atheism is a classic argument), whilst in reality they were anything but atheist.[/QUOTE] The nazis weren't atheists. It's still fucking stupid to try and blame the nazis on Religion, though.
[QUOTE=Strongbad;37958535]The nazis weren't atheists. It's still fucking stupid to try and blame the nazis on Religion, though.[/QUOTE] Well Hitler did believe in superstition, I mean, didn't he have the pope bless the german troops?
[QUOTE=ExplosiveCheese;37958563]Well Hitler did believe in superstition, I mean, didn't he have the pope bless the german troops?[/QUOTE] He would also get molten lead and drop into a bucket of cold water to see the future.
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;37958579]He would also get molten lead and drop into a bucket of cold water to see the future.[/QUOTE] Did he also get his fucking lucky rabbit foot ready? :v:
[QUOTE=Strongbad;37958535]The nazis weren't atheists. It's still fucking stupid to try and blame the nazis on Religion, though.[/QUOTE] "Do the Schwabing (Note 12) decadents look upon Germany's lot to-day as 'aesthetic'? Of course, one doesn't discuss such a question with the Jews, because they are the modern inventors of this cultural perfume. Their very existence is an incarnate denial of the beauty of God's image in His creation." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy Translation) "Hence today 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." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Manheim Translation) "The fight against syphilis and its pace-maker, prostitution, is one of the gigantic tasks of mankind; gigantic, because it is not merely a case of solving a single problem but the removal of a whole series of evils which are the contributory causes of this scourge. Disease of the body in this case is merely the result of a diseased condition of the moral, social, and racial instincts. But if for reasons of indolence or cowardice this fight is not fought to a finish we may imagine what conditions will be like 500 years hence. Little of God's image will be left in human nature, except to mock the Creator." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) "Against all this we, National Socialists, must stick firmly to the aim that we have set for our foreign policy; namely, that the German people must be assured the territorial area which is necessary for it to exist on this earth. And only for such action as is undertaken to secure those ends can it be lawful in the eyes of God and our German posterity to allow the blood of our people to be shed once again. Before God, because we are sent into this world with the commission to struggle for our daily bread, as creatures to whom nothing is donated and who must be able to win and hold their position as lords of the earth only through their own intelligence and courage." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) "For the future of the world, however, it does not matter which of the two triumphs over the other, the Catholic or the Protestant. But it does matter whether Aryan humanity survives or perishes. And yet the two Christian denominations are not contending against the destroyer of Aryan humanity but are trying to destroy one another. Everybody who has the right kind of feeling for his country is solemnly bound, each within his own denomination, to see to it that he is not constantly talking about the Will of God merely from the lips but that in actual fact he fulfils the Will of God and does not allow God's handiwork to be debased. For it was by the Will of God that men were made of a certain bodily shape, were given their natures and their faculties. Whoever destroys His work wages war against God's Creation and God's Will." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) Do you see a pattern here?
Surprised to see some here pointing out that Christianity is more diverse than one single group and thought process. Catholics, Roman Catholics, Anglican Catholics, Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Episcopalian, Presbyterian... Each one interprets things differently and often they dislike each other because of the differences in belief. Yeah, there are a few people that will use religion to justify doing something awful, but it's like that with everything. Just because you're a Communist doesn't mean you want to murder every living thing like Stalin. Just because you're politically left-leaning doesn't mean you want all guns banned and all gun owners criminalized. Nazism and religion aren't mutually exclusive but you're an idiot if you think they're mutually inclusive. Anyways, glad to see this guy has turned his life around. Shame that it took murder to change him but it seems like he's been successfully rehabilitated. Hopefully he can guide others away from a life like he used to lead through his newfound faith.
[QUOTE=JgcxCub;37957186]Uh nazism and religion/church are hardly mutually exclusive IIRC The Catholic Church actively supported (or at least praised) NSDAP activities[/QUOTE] You do realize thousands of Catholic priests were killed in Nazi camps? Though that does not make the Catholics innocent, as many Catholic leaders also sat by and let anti-Jewish racism occur, some condoned it. After the war Catholic officials helped Nazis escape as well. In the end, it seems opinion in the Church was quite divided. And as for Nazi policy itself, I do not think Hitler was pro or anti church. He obviously wanted to appease German Christians, who were the majority (which explains his praising god in Mein Kampf. He's going to say what's popular), but also most likely viewed the Church as a threat to the power of the Nazi state.
[QUOTE=NoS4A2;37958774]"Do the Schwabing (Note 12) decadents look upon Germany's lot to-day as 'aesthetic'? Of course, one doesn't discuss such a question with the Jews, because they are the modern inventors of this cultural perfume. Their very existence is an incarnate denial of the beauty of God's image in His creation." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy Translation) "Hence today 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." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Manheim Translation) "The fight against syphilis and its pace-maker, prostitution, is one of the gigantic tasks of mankind; gigantic, because it is not merely a case of solving a single problem but the removal of a whole series of evils which are the contributory causes of this scourge. Disease of the body in this case is merely the result of a diseased condition of the moral, social, and racial instincts. But if for reasons of indolence or cowardice this fight is not fought to a finish we may imagine what conditions will be like 500 years hence. Little of God's image will be left in human nature, except to mock the Creator." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) "Against all this we, National Socialists, must stick firmly to the aim that we have set for our foreign policy; namely, that the German people must be assured the territorial area which is necessary for it to exist on this earth. And only for such action as is undertaken to secure those ends can it be lawful in the eyes of God and our German posterity to allow the blood of our people to be shed once again. Before God, because we are sent into this world with the commission to struggle for our daily bread, as creatures to whom nothing is donated and who must be able to win and hold their position as lords of the earth only through their own intelligence and courage." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) "For the future of the world, however, it does not matter which of the two triumphs over the other, the Catholic or the Protestant. But it does matter whether Aryan humanity survives or perishes. And yet the two Christian denominations are not contending against the destroyer of Aryan humanity but are trying to destroy one another. Everybody who has the right kind of feeling for his country is solemnly bound, each within his own denomination, to see to it that he is not constantly talking about the Will of God merely from the lips but that in actual fact he fulfils the Will of God and does not allow God's handiwork to be debased. For it was by the Will of God that men were made of a certain bodily shape, were given their natures and their faculties. Whoever destroys His work wages war against God's Creation and God's Will." -Hitler, Mein Kampf (Murphy translation) Do you see a pattern here?[/QUOTE] Yeah but he also made his own church that put him above god. Beyond the general religiousness of people at the time, religion didn't have much to do with it. This is also ignoring the fact that thousands of christians from various churches were sent to the concentration camps for opposing hitler, a lot of pastors and priests in fact.
[QUOTE=Sue Ellen;37957325]as per usual christians and discrimination go hand in hand[/QUOTE] go back to /r/atheism
Well, the pope ( Benedict XVI ) was a member of the Hitler Youth...
[QUOTE=ExplosiveCheese;37958563]Well Hitler did believe in superstition, I mean, didn't he have the pope bless the german troops?[/QUOTE] Hitler believed in the Occult, and believed that most forms of Christianity were weak and traitorous for placing God above State. Mussolini was an Anti-Theist who believed religion had to be abolished entirely, and Hirohito was a Shintoist.
[QUOTE=Moustacheman;37965645]Hitler believed in the Occult, and believed that most forms of Christianity were weak and traitorous for placing God above State. Mussolini was an Anti-Theist who believed religion had to be abolished entirely, and Hirohito was a Shintoist.[/QUOTE] Fun fact, Aleister Crowley was originally intended to be recruited by MI6 to spy on Nazi cultists. However, his ripe age combined with years upon years of drug use proved that he couldn't be a useful asset. And then Ozzy Osbourne made a song about him.
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