Forgotten Victims Of The Nazis Jehovah's Witnesses

 The Jehovahs witnesses became victims of the Nazis because their religion stated that ‘as soldiers of Jehovah they would not bare arms for any nation.

In April 1933 four months after Hitler had came to power and announced himself as chancellor of Germany, Jehovahs witnesses were banned in Bavaria and by summer of the same year most of Germany had followed suite.

Twice in 1933 police in Germany occupied the witnesses offices and headquarters confiscating printing presses and religious literature in Magdeburg, Hitler was infuriated by the Jehovahs Witnesses as they refused to fight or bare arms for their country as depicted by their religion.

Furthermore in 1934 the witnesses went as far as to defy the Nazi party by sending a letter to Hitler personally `stating their religious beliefs and their refusal to bare arms or cooperate’.

That was one act to far and Hitler had them beaten up and arrested, thrown into prisons and concentration camps, for it . In the concentration camps the Jehovahs Witnesses had one advantage that most other inmates did not and this was that they could leave their captivity at any time if they signed a decree renouncing their religion and making them eligible to fight in the name of Nazism. Few did and most of the witnesses remained in the camps until the liberation, still defying the Nazis and converting other inmates, many died through hunger, cold and disease, aswell as the brutal treatment that they received from the guards but through out their confinement they never lost their faith.

The Jehovahs Witnesses suffered persecution under the Nazi regime, we know that they were incarcerated in prisons and concentration camps, their sufferings from the Nazis was one of the bravest and courageous acts of defiance against Hitler that is known and how they never lost their faith and beliefs regardless of the horrific and harsh treatment they received , they refused to comply to Hitlers laws or see him as a leader in place of Jehovah and they defied him still in the face of death, their dedication to their religion is to be admired and respected.

It is known that many young men of the Jehovahs Witnesses were court marshalled and executed for not registering or joining the german army.