European Religious Persecution |
The Edict of Milan In
313, the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Constantine, met with Eastern
Roman Empire emperor Lucinius. They declared Christianity the official religion
of the Empire and therefore began the 1,600 year history of the most horrible
persecution of the European Jews. Although Jews lived unmolested in Roman lands
and even served as officers in the Roman army, the Christian majority persecuted
the European Jews for 1,600 years, including the horrors of the Crusades and
finally the Nazi horrors. There is a direct line from these early persecutions
and the holocaust. For example, the Nazi government prohibited sexual relations
between non-Jews and Jews. This prohibition was already in force in Germany and
other European countries shortly after Christians became powerful enough to
promote such decrees. One reason for these persecutions was the claim that
anyone who was not a Christian was a traitor to the state and therefore a danger
to the government. The
belief that all subjects of any king or prince must support the same religion as
the monarch was believed all over Europe, so that all living in France or
Austria had to be Catholic while all Swedes and northern Germans had to be
Lutherans. This led to the 30 Years’ War from 1618 to 1648, when the war
concluded with the Peace of Westphalia. Then it was agreed that all subjects of
the numerous kings, princes, etc., would have to support the religion of the
government, so that all Prussians had to be Lutherans and all Austrians
Catholics. Only the Jews were not Christians and therefore suspect of being
traitors in all European countries, as there was no Jewish country anywhere. Knowing
all this, the founding fathers of the United States included in the U.S.
constitution the first amendment, which prohibits Congress to legislate religion
in any manner. That first amendment has made it possible for American Jews to
attain equality with all other citizens and
to assume important positions in government such as
state governor, senator, and representative in Congress. There
is no country on earth outside the United States which treats the Jewish
minority as equals. Even
in Canada, reputedly a democracy, Jews must
pay for private Jewish schools and pay a school tax to support Catholic
and non-Catholic public schools. This constitutes a direct discrimination
against Canadian Jews. Throughout
European history, Jews had to pay extra Jew taxes, were second class citizens
everywhere, and were finally consigned to the gas ovens because they were held
in contempt as unbelievers and traitors in all Christian and Muslim countries.
In all these countries, Jews were told that they needed to convert to
Christianity or Islam or be the victims of well-deserved misery. The Koran
teaches Muslims to kill all Jews, as Muslims throughout the world have made
Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” or “My Fight” their favorite book, while
labeling him a “great man.” The
centuries old contempt for Jews is today particularly visible on the campuses of
American colleges and universities, as neither professors nor students who support
Judaism are welcome in American higher education.
Labeling themselves “liberals”
or “progressives,” the latter day persecutors of the 21st century
Jews are the spiritual children of
Hitler, who was, after all, a Roman Catholic. Shalom u'vracha. Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications, including Gender, Sex, & Status (2019). |