Interfaiths: The National Socialists' Spiritual Mandate for Genocide

Mikael Nilsson’s research challenges the common assumption that Nazi antisemitism was purely secular by highlighting how Adolf Hitler’s worldview was rooted in a distorted Christian theology. It explains that Hitler reimagined Jesus as an Aryan warrior rather than a Jewish figure, weaponising religious symbols to transform genocide into a perceived moral and divine mission. This historical analysis suggests that the Holocaust emerged from a horrifying mutation of established religious thought rather than a simple rejection of faith. Consequently, modern interfaith dialogue must move beyond superficial commonalities to honestly confront how sacred traditions can be manipulated to justify violence. It emphasises that theological accountability and historical honesty are essential for preventing the recurrence of such radicalised ideologies. Such a reckoning requires religious communities to acknowledge their past complicity while actively deconstructing the perverse ethical frameworks that enabled historical atrocities.