Christian Science in Nazi Germany Small

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE UNDER THE NAZI REGIME

William E. Stillman Principia College Elsah, Illinois

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo copying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Printed in the United States Copyright 1977

Author's Note

This paper is based on primary source material collected by the author. That source material came from the Archives of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, MA, from captured Nazi documents that are now part of the Nuremburg Trial Archives, Department of the Army Archives, the Library of Congress Archives, and from personal interviews with German citizens who were members of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Germany during the time of the Third Reich. The contents of this article were first made public through a lecture delivered to the Principia College Adult Summer Session in 1977. The author is still in the process of collecting additional information and will supplement this publication at a later date.

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Over the past century the world has evolved from a collection of stand alone nations with borders that kept people out, to a multi-national, multi-cultural association of countries connected by trade, educational exchanges, political and economic alliances, and a shared history caused by two world wars. Concurrently to this evolution, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, the Christian Science church, has gone from being an American revelation to an international movement. As such, it must be viewed as multi-national and cannot be limited to a single people's history. In this paper I would like to share another facet of the multi-dimensional history of the Christian Science movement, that of the movement Germany under the Nazi regime. The early history of Christian Science in Germany began in 1897 when Frances Thurber Seal set sail from the United States for Hamburg. In Miss Seal's book, Christian Science in Germany, she relates a beautiful story of growth in the Christian Science Movement. Miss Seal began her mission in Dresden establishing an informal group of students. She later went to Berlin and established another group. It was not an easy road for Miss Seal; she spoke no German, had no understanding of German customs or law, and was faced with the strictly run government of the Imperial Kaiser. Miss Seal's story is a moving one and I encourage all to read her book on this subject. Germany was a logical country for Mrs. Eddy to send a missionary. It was the heart and soul of Protestant thought. It was here the spiritual elements of reformation lead Martin Luther to rebel against the materialistic, dogmatic structures of the Catholic Church. This "intrepid reformer's" 1 inspiration developed into the Protestant reformation which spread through Germany and other Western European countries. By the 20th Century, Germany was ready and eager for Christian Science. In the 34 years following Miss Seal's establishing two informal Christian Science1

Reference to Martin Luther by Mary Baker Eddy in Christian Healing

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groups, the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Germany grew into 76 churches and societies with a following of over 50,000 people. (Nazi census, 1934.) The growth of the Christian Science Movement in Germany was not without obstacles. The ruling Prussian government under minister Bismarck was nationalistic and autocratic. Miss Seals efforts, as well as those of the early German church members, resulted in the changing of laws and police regulations. The Church began to grow and even gained support in the royal court. This nationalism, which swept Europe in the early 1900's, met the growing Christian Science movement head on. In 1906 a number of German and Swiss Christian Science branch churches, fearing that The Mother Church, 1st Church of Christ Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts, would dilute their national heritage through the infusion of English into their services and through its control of Christian Science publications, broke away from The Mother Church and formed a new organization, The German Church of Christ, Scientist. They proceeded to establish their own publishing society, weekly newspaper and the "German Christian Science Journal." In 1917 when the United States entered the First World War, the German government gave official recognition to the German Church of Christ, Scientist. At that point in time the German Church of Christ, Scientist, consisted of several churches in the state of Bavaria, Germany and in and around Zurich, Switzerland. The German Church of Christ, Scientist maintained its official government status through the Second World War, after which the organization seems to have faded into history. It was never affiliated with the First Church of Christ Scientist, Boston, the Mother Church that is the official headquarters for the Christian Science movement.

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The signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 left Germany a crippled land. Germany had been blamed for a war, which it did not technically begin. Its industry was destroyed; its transportation systems were inoperable. The economic recession and political harassment which were soon to follow did anything but lift the spirits of the German people. They were trampled by the allied powers until they had as much self esteem as the dirt on which they walked. Richard J. Davis, a Christian Science lecturer and teacher, made the following observation while on a lecture tour in Germany: "As I study it, I believe this whole movement (Nazism) has developed because the rest of the world has by its attitude made Germany feel she was set apart, alone, a kind of mistreated stepchild, of the family of nations." Through all of the hardships imposed upon them by England, France, and the United States, the creative spirit of the German people survived. The quest for relief from the atmosphere of their human surroundings sent thousands of Germans to the doors of Christian Science churches throughout Germany. The period from 1920 through 1934 saw the greatest growth in the Christian Science movement in Germany. German government census figures would indicate a 400% growth in the membership of the church during this time frame (203,000 members). An Austrian Corporal, Adolf Hitler, caused the next great turn of events in Germany. On February 28, 1933, the Enabling Act for the Protection of the People and the State was signed. This act provided Hitler with supreme authority. It also would become the authority for eventually banning First Church of Christ, Scientist and the practice of Christian Science in Germany in 1941. Hitler seemed to be a light in the wilderness to many German people. From their position of economic collapse, they viewed him as a means to pull themselves up. In many ways the prophecy initially seemed to come true. Not only did he stabilize the inflated German currency, but he also greatly reduced unemployment, revitalized industry, and gave the German people a 7

sense of dignity and self-respect. For the first time in years the German family could afford such things as radios, washing machines, fur coats, and durable pots and pans. His promise of the Volkswagen, a car that was to be affordable to every family, further heightened hopes. It is little wonder that even some Christian Scientists warmed to join the Nazi Party. When Hitler first came into power, the good flowing forth from his government was so great that very few people saw the bad. Needless to say, he only delivered about 1,000 Volkswagens. It soon became evident to many that Hitler was not a perfect savior. In March, only a month after Hitler had gained full control of Germany, Richard J. Davis, a Christian Science lecturer and teacher, began a lecture tour in Germany. His lectures were filled to overflowing and were received with little if any antagonism or interference by the Nazis. In his report to The Mother Church, Mr. Davis did mention, however, that there was a great deal of fear among Christian Science workers in Germany. He appealed to The Mother Church that special prayer be done for the protection of German churches and the activities of the Publishing Society. "Those living out-side of Germany can work (pray) with greater freedom and less personal mesmerism than citizens of this country, who have so much fear of the police," stated Davis. Several members of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Kassel, who were interviewed by the author about their experiences as members of the church during the Nazi era, reiterated the fear many Christian Scientist had for the secret police. Stories were related of brown shirts standing outside the church entrance visibly taking down the names of individuals as they entered the church on Sunday, or of Christian Science Reading Room attendants being harassed and literature taken and destroyed. On the other hand, the courage and love of these members also brought about healing. One Christian Scientist who was a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Koenigsberg in 1935, talked about how the members of her church knew the brown shirt that stood outside their church every Sunday. They would .greet

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him with joy and love each Sunday and the congregation prayed to know that Gods Love and Gods Principle could be understood by all and that the members of their Church could not be subject to the human will and political will that was not apart of Gods Law. She went on to relate that after several months of having this brown shirt watch them every Sunday, he appeared in church one Sunday, in his Sunday best, explaining that he had left the Sicherheits Dienst (security service) and was interested in learning more about Christian Science.

Though Mr. Davis reported that the fear of police retaliation was keeping German Christian Scientists from speaking out against government behavior, there was a small group of courageous Scientists who were devising a plot to inform Hitler about Christian Science. Miss Emma J. Leplow, a Christian Science teacher, and Mr. Bode, her pupil and a stalwart leader in the Christian Science movement in Germany, had become close friends with Hitler's housekeeper. The housekeeper was interested in Christian Science and had had several healings with the aid of Miss Leplow. It was thought that perhaps the housekeeper could somehow let Hitler know about the goodness of Christian Science and that through this he might read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, the textbook of Christian Science. For his convenience the housekeeper took a copy of Science and Health to Hitler's Berlin residence and headquarters, placing it in Hitler's personal library. There is no public documentation as to the outcome of this adventure, but several Christian Scientists who were acquainted with Miss Leplow at the time, recall hearing about this event and believed that Hitler did look at Science and Health but showed no interest in its contents.

One of the most interesting aspects of the role Christian Science played in Nazi Germany is the effect it had on the foreign policy decisions made by the Nazi Government. The major reason

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Christian Science was not banned before 1941 was that Ribbentrop, the Nazi Foreign Minister at the time, felt that maintaining the freedom of the Christian Science movement in Germany was one of the key elements in winning the support of Great Britain and not antagonizing the United States. It is rather surprising that a religion, whose membership was relatively small, compared to other religions of the world, should be so highly regarded by a national government. However, if one views the situation through Ribbentrop's eyes, it seems less surprising.

In dealing with England, first as Ambassador and later as Foreign Minister, he had close contact with three very important and influential men: Lord Aster, Lord Lothian, and Lord Halifax. The wives of Lord Aster and Lord Lothian were members of the First Church of Christ, Scientist and Lord Aster and Lothian were regular attendees at Christian Science services.

Lord Halifax, though not a member of the Christian Science Church, had close associations with Lord Aster and Lord Lothian and was therefore, erroneously considered by Ribbentrop to be a Christian Scientist. All three of these men had shown some openness to the "New Germany" and were therefore key targets for Ribbentrop's humoring. Lord Aster and Lord Lothian were the owners of the London Observer and had considerable influence in parliament. Lord Halifax played a major role in British foreign policy and had a close personal friendship with Chamberlain. Little wonder that Ribbentrop was very careful not to offend these men and therefore worked to allow the Christian Science church to operate freely in the Reich. Before showing how Ribbentrop's assessment of the importance of Christian Science affected Nazi policy, let me briefly explain a historical aspect of the German government structure that still existed under the Nazi regime.

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Germany, just as the United States and Canada is made up of a number of states united under one government. Today, West Germany consists of 13 states and 3 city states of which Bavaria is the most well known state, thanks to the tourist industry. These states were at one time independent dukedoms that pledged their allegiance to various monarchs or alliances. In recent history Prussia has demonstrated itself to be the most dominant of these states, with Bavaria in second place. When Hitler established his "Third Reich," each state maintained its state governmental structure, but all law was supposed to come from Hitler and his Reich government. However, one cannot undo history overnight and the state governments only slowly relinquished their sovereignty. This is not to say that they were not all united behind the Nazi Party, for they were; however, in following Nazi policy and doctrine, each state tried to operate in its own way. At first, this caused a number of problems for the Reich government. Usually the Reich government handled such independence in the following manner, when a state created a policy or a law, if it was consistent with the goals of the Reich, the Reich would adopt it. This type of behavior continued until 1935 by which time Hitler's various police forces were tightly controlling almost all internal activity.

As I mentioned before, Prussia was the dominant power in Germany before Hitler took over. She remained dominant even during his regime. As a matter of fact, it was said that if you whispered in the ear of the right Prussian official, you could be certain that what you said would be heard through the entire Reich. Th e story I'm about to relate is an excellent example of this. On September 11, 1933, the Ministry of the Interior of the State of Thuringen issued a decree that banned the Shepherd and Flock Societies, the Berlin Baptist Tent Mission, the faith healers, such as the Pentecostals and Holy Rollers, and Christian Science churches and societies. The decree stated that all the property records, literature and furniture of these organizations were to be seized and sequestered. Any member of such an organization that

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tried to take action against the decree would be arrested, imprisoned, fined or both. On September 25, 1933, Lord Aster and Mr. Tennant, The Mother Church representative in London, had lunch with Mr. Messersmith of the American Embassy in Berlin. They discussed the closing of Christian Science churches in Thuringen and were informed by Mr. Messersmith that the only action the State Department had authorized was a thorough investigation of the situation. On September 26, however, Mr. Geist, the American Consulate General in Koenigsburg, was going to be meeting with Dr. Grauert, the Minister of the Interior for the State of Prussia. Mr. Messersmith suggested to Mr. Geist, at the end of his meeting with Dr. Grauert, mentioned the closing of the Christian Science churches in Thuringen. Therefore Mr. Geist whispered in the ear of the Prussian Minister that the Germans might have acted too hastily in closing Christian Science churches. He stated that many prominent political and social leaders in England and the United States were Christian Scientists and that such action might offend them. Needless to say, within two days, the Reich announced that Christian Science churches were free to operate in the Reich. On October 6, 1933, Mr. Geist received a letter of thanks from Dr. Grauert for pointing out this important oversight. Several days prior to Mr. Geist's letter, an official letter from the Nazi Foreign Minister's office was sent to the American Department of State and to The Mother Church in Boston apologizing for the brief closing of Christian Science Churches in Thuringen. The letter stated that the action in the State of Thuringen was the misdirected enthusiasm of a lesser official.

The intervention of Lord Aster and the semi-official intervention of the United States Embassy in this incident was very important to the Christian Science movement in Germany. It substantiated Ribbentrop's assumption that a necessary element in maintaining good relations with England

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and the United States of America was to keep peace with the Christian Science Church. The fact that this was one of the few times the American Embassy appeared to informally support a specific religion helped to validate Ribbentrop's assumptions about the influence of the Christian Science Church in American politics. A view that prior to this incident, was held suspect by such Nazi leaders such as Himmler and Goering.

As we realize today, the Nazi government's perspective on the importance of Christian Science in British and American politics was not accurate, but perhaps the spiritual importance of Christian Science in world politics and in Germany was being demonstrated. Another aspect of the Christian Science movement, which the Nazis misunderstood, was the role that Jews and Free Masons played in the church structure. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding was to the detriment of the Christian Science Church. Before explaining this situation, it is important to provide a brief overview of the standing of Jews and Free Masons in Nazi Germany. We are all aware of the terrible autrausicties experienced by the Jews in Nazi Germany and Vichy France. The horrors of the Haulcost are a black mark on civilization. What might be helpful to understand, however, is the social and political role of the Jewish community in Germany at the time the Nazis came to power. Anti-Jewish thought certainly did not have its origins in Nazi propaganda. The Jews have found anxiety and hatred wherever they have gone, as far back as the Exodus. In recent history, hatred for the Jew received renewed impetus in the late 19th century, about the same time as "Jim Crow" came into existence in the United States. Racism was heightened by 19th century nationalism as may be seen in Gustov Freytag's novel, Soil und Haben, published in 1880. The attitudes expressed in this volume are representative of the feelings held not only by many Germans but also the French, Dutch, and even Americans. One of the reasons that the Jew was singled out during this period of nationalistic behavior is that he

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is readily identifiable as being non-European. Another reason was that the Jewish communities were very self-focused in their political, social, and economic interactions with the people of other communities. Their behavior was expressed in the words of a prominent German businessman who dealt with Jewish businessmen during the late 20's: "The Jewish attitude toward life was to look out for your own and to (step over) any Gentile who did not serve your purposes." Needless to say, such a perception of Jewish behavior on the part of the Germans did not win the Jews any popularity contests. During the two recessions that followed World War I, this type of behavior seemed to be further reinforced by certain Jews in Germany. Many prominent Jewish landlords charged exorbitant rents and some Jewish factory owners paid wages well below the industrial average. When Hitler came into power and branded the Jew as public enemy number one, the public had a great deal of festering hatred to unleash. This in no way condones what took place at such prisons as Dachau and Buchenwald, but it may help the reader understand why the Jewish people became such a ready target of Nazi hatred. The Free Masons in Germany were not quite the same organization that we know here in the United States. Here we recognize the Free Masons as a secretive but community focused organization whose outreach is greatly appreciated. In Germany, at the time of the Nazis, this was not exactly the case. The Free Masons had many prominent Jews in their membership and the organization was used by many of these Jewish community leaders as a political tool. As the Nazis came to power, most of the top leadership positions of the Free Masons were held by individuals who were either Jewish or had some Jewish heritage. The top ranks in the Free Masons, from the 30 th grade and up, were only obtained through heredity. This meant the perpetuation of Jewish leaders. These leaders used their positions to persuade lower ranking, non-Jewish Free Masons to support their political ideologies. The Free Masons in German also had a very secret organization called the "Knights of Thistles. " This militant arm was

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controlled by the head Masons and was viewed by Minister Goebels as a subversive, paramilitary organization. None of this was very popular with the Nazis and in 1933 the Free Masons were banned as a politically subversive organization. How does Christian Science relate to all of this? It is surprising how closely The Mother Church appeared to be connected with the Free Masons and the Jews, at least from the point of view of the Nazis. Before March 14, 1910, the first sentence of Article VIII, Section 15 of the Manual of The Mother Church, the document that sets up the rules and government of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, read, "Members of this Church shall not become members of organizations which exclude either sex, -- except they are Free Masons, or Press Clubs that give the toil-worn aged Journalists a Home." Today this article reads, "Members of this Church shall not unite with organizations which impede their progress in Christian Science." The current text gives no preference to the Free Masons, but unfortunately, the Nazis did not have a current copy of the current Mother Church Manual. At the time of the ban of the Free Masons, all but three of the Board of Directors of The Mother Church and the Trustees under the Will of Mary Baker Eddy were high ranking Free Masons and one was Jewish by birth. In the five Munich area branch churches every first reader was a Free Mason, or was thought to be by the Nazis, three readers were Jewish by birth, and one was half Jewish. On page 351 from "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" by Mrs. Eddy, the Discover and Founder of Christian Science, she reprints a letter she wrote where she states: "Know Thyself, the title of your gem quoted, is indeed a divine command, for the morale of Free Masonry is above ethics --- it touches the hem of his garment who spake divinely. It was truly Masonic, tender, grand in you to remember me as the widow of a Mason. In this

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letter, Mrs. Eddy points out that her late husband had been a Free Mason. In addition, in 1936, the stalwart German Christian Scientist, Mr. Bode, had a disagreement with the Board of Directors of The Mother Church (headquarters of the Christian Science movement) and severed his membership with the church. He then published an article in the Nazi publication Juden Kenner (roughly translated as Jew Knower) against Christian Science. The main thrust of his article was to allege deep-rooted control by the Free Masons of the Christian Science church. He stated that the Free Masons, now that they were banned, were using the Christian Science church, under the direction of the Board of Directors in Boston, to further their activities in Germany. This information, coming from a man whom the Nazis considered a prominent figure in the Christian Science church, was very detrimental to the movement in Germany. From the Nazi point of view, Christian Science was almost a right arm for the banned political subversive organization of the Free Masons. One can understand that Nazi anxiety about Christian Science was on the rise. The idea that Christian Science was a front organization for the Free Masons, and indirectly the Jews, caused a major split among Nazi leaders on the question of banning Christian Science. The two political factions on the issue developed that were centered around Ribbentrop and Himmler. Ribbentrop still felt that banning Christian Science would cause major alienation of key English and American leaders. Himmler, the head of the Secret Service saw Christian Science as, and I quote from a Secret Service report originating in Himmler's office, "one of the largest and most dangerous of the international sects." Himmler had the strong support of Mueller, the chief of the GESTAPO and of Heydrich, a key figure at the time in the Ministry of the Interior. Though this is only an assumption, the Reich decree that was issued shortly after the Free Mason/Christian Science Church issue surfaced in 1936, was probably a concession made by Ribbentrop to Himmler. This decree forbad the collection of money during

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Christian Science services and lectures and also forbad the sale of foreign publications at church services, lectures, and in reading rooms. To aide German branch churches at this time, The Mother Church established a special German Literature Fund. From this point on, literature was sent to Germany at no charge and was given away instead of sold. Despite the bad publicity the Christian Science church was receiving, lectures were packed to the doors with visitors. Even the government newspapers printed Christian Science lecture advertisements. One member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Munich recalls having spoken with one of the GESTAPO, who were required to attend every lecture, as to what he had learned from the talk. He said he had gained a clearer picture of what God was. The attack against Christian Science was not only coming from political circles but also from the German medical community. The Arztkammer, an organization that performed the functions of American Surgeon General and American Medical Association (AMA) combined, sounded its trumpet around the same time as the politicians were losing sleep over the Free Mason issue. On September 24, 1935, the Artzkammer brought Mrs. Schminke, a Christian Science practitioner, to trial in Rostock . She was charged with three accounts; first, for trying to heal when she was not a doctor; second, for medical negligence, as Mrs. Schminke never went to visit her patient; and third, for causing a threat to the well being of people of the Reich. Mrs. Schminke had two patients, Frau Dutze and Frau Arauldt, who had called her for treatment. Evidently Mrs. Schminke's patients were in another town and Mrs. Schminke never saw them. Unfortunately both of the patients passed away. Though the trial account I read did not mention the medical complications of the patients, it is strongly intimated that from the medical point of view their cases were extremely serious. Mrs. Schminke was found guilty on all three accounts and was sentenced to nine months in a concentration camp. To date, I have not been able to uncover what

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took place after the trial, but one can assume that Mrs. Schminke served her sentence. After the trial, the Artzkammer in Berlin released a report to the Ministry of the Interior and the Supreme Court of the Reich. The report made the following charges against Christian Science: Christian Science is a detriment to the State because it tricks people into thinking they can live without medicine. Christian Science is clearly the devious plot of political subversives who are trying to cause an epidemic, such as the plague, throughout the Reich. The report concludes that the only reason for the widespread growth of Christian Science in Germany is the cunning business practices utilized by Christian Science leaders and the fact that the Christian Science movement plays upon the weaknesses of the downtrodden to gain membership. Interestingly enough, the report from the Artzkammer did not seem to have any great effect on the thinking of the Nazi party leaders. Though this report could have strengthened the Himmler faction on the Christian Science issue, it did not appear to do so. Several months after the issuance of this report, Lord Aster made contact with the Prussian Ministry of the Interior concerning the ban placed on the sale of foreign publications. This law had recently been amended to state that each individual in the Reich could import foreign periodicals for personal use only up to the value of 10- RM per month or about $2.00. This of course did not allow each Christian Scientist to subscribe to the Herald, Sentinel, and The Christian Science Monitor. Therefore, through working with the Prussian Ministry of the Interior, Lord Aster was able to foster ideas for a new law. This law which was announced on November 25, 1937 and pertained only to the Christian Science churches in Germany. It stated that The Mother Church would be allowed to import a total of 20,000- RM per month of literature into Germany. However, each Christian Scientist must forego his right to import the individual 10- RM per month. It allowed for the free distribution and sale of Christian Science literature in Germany, thus cancelling the former ban on its sale

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from the year before. Here again the Ribbentrop faction had won, and Christian Science churches continued to grow. The tension over the issue of banning Christian Science in Germany began to reach a peak in 1939. Local 8.8. (civilian informants), GESTAPO, and S.D. (Sicherheits Dienst) leaders were showering Himmler and Mueller with memos about Christian Science and asking how they should deal with the sect. By this time Christian Science was the only foreign religion, or for that matter, the only foreign organization, that was operating freely in Germany. Operating freely means that Christian Science was officially legal, but that members of the church were not immune to harassment from Nazi party members on an unofficial basis. From what I have been able to uncover so far, though, the only Christian Scientists who were arrested or officially harassed by the GESTAPO at this time, were those who were either of Jewish heritage or who were members of the forbidden Free Masons. On March 6, 1939, Martin Borman, Hitler's personal adjutant, issued an order that greatly strengthened the Himmler faction. This order stated that due to the "international n ature of the Christian Science church, it is forbidden for a member of the Nazi Party to also hold membership in the Christian Science church." This order did not state what action was to be taken if an individual did hold joint membership; it only stated that one couldn't. This caused a great deal of confusion among the various police organizations. Most of the Christian Scientists did not want to dissolve either membership. For most people to maintain their jobs, membership in the Nazi party was requisite. When threatened with the loss of their jobs, most Christian Scientists would usually dissolve their local branch church membership, maintain their Mother Church membership, and continue to support the church just as they had before. This made Borman's order virtually ineffective.

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May 1939, one month after the dual-membership order, marked the start of a series of meetings that would end with the banning of Christian Science. The meetings were between Hinrich, Woermann, an adjutant to Hitler, Weizaecker of the Foreign Office, Ribbentrop, Foreign Minister, Mueller, Head of the GESTAPO and Himmler, Head of the SS. These meetings were specifically called to discuss the banning of Christian Science. Himmler demanded suppression because of the international nature of Christian Science. The results of this first meeting were to the favor of Ribbentrop, but only by a hair. The 1939 report of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship stated that a relatively large number of lectures were delivered to eager audiences in Germany. In no case was there government interference. The reports of healings were numerous and impressive. Several churches were reporting that members who had originally left the church when Borman's dualmembership order was given were now returning and bringing new members with them. In September 1939, war broke out in Europe. The Christian Science lecture tours to continental Europe for 1940 were cancelled. It is interesting to note that though the lecturers did not travel through Germany many of their lectures were still delivered. The Mother Church in Boston, MA sent the text of the scheduled lecture to each branch church in Germany and a member of the church would read the lecture to the audience. With the outbreak of war, Rthbentrop's arguments for not banning Christian Science held little weight. On June 9, 1941, Heydrich ordered a GESTAPO raid on all Christian Science churches and on all members of the Christian Science church. Though Christian Science was still legal, Heydrich realized that the reasons for keeping it legal were now gone. "The German people can no longer be exposed to occultist teachings which pretend that the actions and missions of

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the human being are subject to mysterious magic, spiritual forces," stated Heydrich. The consequences of Heydrich's raid were evident; the banning of Christian Science in Germany. A month later, Thomson, the Germany Charge d'Affairs in Washington, D. C. sent a frantic telegram to Ribbentrop . Thomson stated that the Christian Science Monitor was a powerful voice in America and that the Christian Science religion had many prominent political figures as members. He urged Rthbentrop to have Himmler stop the raids on Christian Science churches for fear that if continued they might cause the alienation of many Americans toward Germany. Thomson's telegram was of no avail. Four days after its arrival, on July 14, 1941, Christian Science was banned in accordance with the law for the Protection of the People and the State that was originated on February 28, 1933. It was this same law that banned every other religion and that had originally empowered Hitler. It was a blanket law that stated that anything the government felt was bad for the people could be banned. Thomson's warning that such action might cause ill feelings in the United States toward Germany had no affect on Hitler and his colleagues. They were convinced that the United States was too concerned with itself and too far removed from the rest of the world to try to speak out against the Third Reich. Unfortunately at that time, they were right.

Appendix

A - Gilbert Letter, Berlin Embassy perspective on the Christian Science Church in Germany B - Martin Borman order concerning dual membership C - Translated summary of meeting to ban Christian Science D - Final ban of Christian Science in Nazi Germany

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