German Faith Movement

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The German Faith Movement (Deutsche Glaubensbewegung) was closely associated with Jakob Wilhelm Hauer during the Third Reich (1933-45) and sought to move Germany away from Christianity towards a religion based on "immediate experience" of God. Hauer was a professor at Tuebingen.

Instead of the Bible, a combination of Indian (Hindu) and German literature was used as scripture. Hauer had worked as a missionary in India and was influenced in particular by the Bhagavad Gita. Ceremonies of the movement involved sermons, German classical music and political hymns.

Hauer was considered by contemporary observers as a genuinely religious man, though his political sentiments were also commented on.

The movement had around 200,000 followers at its height. Following the Nazi accession to power, it obtained rights of civil tolerance from Rudolf Hess, but never the preferential treatment from the Nazi state for which Hauer campaigned.

The development of the German Faith Movement revolved around four main themes: - the propagation of the 'Blood and Soil' ideology - the replacement of Christian ceremonies by pagan equivalents - the rejection of Christian ethics - the cult of Hitler's personality

Similar movements have remained active in Germany since 1945 outside mainstream educational and social structures.