> the Nazis claimed they officially fought in the name of god against the atheist communists.

Not the Christian God. The aim of the Nazis was to replace the Christian ethos. Himmler said they aimed to get rid of the 10 commandments. They invented two religions (neo-paganism and Positive Christianity) as replacements for Christianity. They regarded Christianity as Jewish plot that overthrew the Roman Empire. Their ideal was to return to a pre-Christian European society, and Hitler said Sparta was the historical society closest to Nazi ideals.

> and is justified as a crusade by certain christian politicians

While they might be influential politicians, they are almost all also at odds with mainstream Christianity. There are similar problems with the wikipedia page about Christian terrorists. Most were anti-Catholic (so their enemies included most Christians). Others are "cultural Christians" rather than believers.

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lukan an hour ago | parent [-]

The nazis were not a homogeneous block and neo paganism was not invented by them. They also made use of it, but actual neo pagans among the nazis were rare, it was rather marginal and the mainstream was still very christian. Their main believe uniting them was about blood and race.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Christians_movement

And they did try to ignore/change the fact that Jesus was jewish and other stuff to help it establish a german identity religion. But I am pretty sure, that the many non nazis in germany fighting for germany did motivate themself by fighting against atheists and for god.

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graemep 15 minutes ago | parent [-]

While they did not invent neo-paganism per se, they invented a particular form of it that fit their ideology. They also invented "positive Christianity".

The Nazi leadership and their core followers were very much committed to getting rid of Christianity. Certainly the heretical movement you refer to existed, but mainstream Christianity was not compatible with Nazi ideology . The Catholic church condemned the Nazi ideology as contrary to Christianity (in Mit brennender Sorge) and large numbers of protestants took the risk of condemning the "German Christian movement as heretical (e.g. those who joined the Confessing Church). I do not think the claim that they were "very Christian" is plausible.

	▲	lukan 6 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		"I do not think the claim that they were "very Christian" is plausible." I do claim the mainstream of people fighting for Hitler were very christian (of those who had any religion). Not that the hardcore inner Nazi circle was christian (probably none of them were). "The Catholic church condemned the Nazi ideology as contrary to Christianity (in Mit brennender Sorge)" But they only did so, after Hitler attacked their organisation, not before or after the Nazis rose to power. Hitler did not liked them, but had respect for the catholic church, as a old power institution. But he did not had them under control as the pope was elsewhere, so they started to attack their base. So not a question of morality or religion, but mere power. "and large numbers of protestants took the risk of condemning the "German Christian movement as heretical (e.g. those who joined the Confessing Church)" I have a huge respect for those who did. But I don't believe their number was that large all in all. The majority marched in line.