And then they came for me

Pastor Martin Niemöller did what many Christians did when they saw the Third Reich systematically remove the rights of selected populations. Group by group, Hitler and his hinchmen took away the rights 1) of the press, 2) of educational institutions and their professors, 3) of races, 4) the mentally ill, 5) of dissidents, and of other groups.

Like all good religious people, he said nothing.

Then they came for him.

The Holocaust Encyclopedia records these words. After World War II, Niemöller openly spoke about his own early complicity in Nazism and his eventual change of heart. His powerful words about guilt and responsibility still resonate today.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

Not unlike many patriots in many countries, Niemöller loved his Germany. He was anti-Semitic. He even voted foer the Nazis in 1933. Perhaps like many people, he felt disillusioned by Hitler. When he discovered Hitler had tapped his phone, he started to realize how deeply mistaken he was. When he publicly proclaimed his oppostion to the Nazi regime, it was too late. He - a pastor - was imprisoned as a political prisoner for 8 years.

If you feel no concern about the current United States regime, I only ask that you look in your heart to see if - like Martin Niemöller - you might be making a mistake by plcaing your trust in a person who’s values may be diametrically opposed to your own. Niemöller was a good person who made a terrible miscalculation.

I hope we never have to say,

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

I’m indebted to the Holocaust Encyclopedia for the information I provided here.