Human responsibility: Contemporary reflections in light of Nazi ideology

A Catholic thinker reflects on the Holocaust and its impact on the perceived relationship between God and mankind. With the loss of difference between murder and killing represented by the Holocaust, the notion of an all-powerful God who will intervene to halt human destruction is "simply dead." Within Nazi culture, personal responsibility was eroded. Within the Church, too many stood aside or actively participated. Traditional Christian anti-Semitism provided an indispensable seedbed for the Nazis' success. The churches must accept full blame for the Jews' historically negative image.