Religion?

Do German Missions Mix Politics With

(The events referred to in this out spoken article hy W.B. are reported fully in the September and October issues of the “Pacific Islands Monthly”, on pages 25 and 42 respectively.) THE outburst of Rev. Father Madigan, of Rabaul, following the arrest of 7 German missionaries in New Guinea, may be welcomed, insofar that it throws a spotlight on the activities of German mission stations in general, and those in New Guinea in particular.

While we acknowledge the good faith of many individual missionaries, we must

remember that the Nazis themselves have told us that their mission stations— whether Lutheran or Roman Catholic are instruments for the furtherance of economic and political aims.

The exploitation of religion for politi cal ends is no new thing in German policy. It was used extensively by Bis marck 50 years ago, and the history of German colonisation is closely bound up with the activities of German mission stations.

Theodor Lautwein, in his book, “11 Years Governor of South West Africa” writes: . . the missions in S.W. Africa were a decisive factor in establishing the German protectorate. It was indeed for tunate that there happened to be a Ger man mission in that coimtry. When the question arose for the natives, whether there should be a German or British pro tectorate, it was above all the mission aries who influenced the decision in Germany’s favour. Also, later, when our nominal protectorate changed to an actual one, it was the missionaries who helped to solve the problems in a peace ful way—it would have been necessary to shoot some of the natives if it hadn’t been for the preparation work of the missionaries”.

A FURTHER account of the role of the mission stations is given in “Das Buch Der Deutschen Kolonien” (The Book of German Colonies) published in 1938. Dealing with the events that led up to Germany becoming a colonial power, the work of the mission stations in each of the former colonies is described.

Dr. Haenicke writes of South West Africa: “Already, in 1868, the inspector of the Barmer Mission, who had passion ately advocated colonial acquisition, begged that the mission enterprises established for years in the Herero and Great Namaland districts should be placed under the nrotection of the Ger man Government.” Evidently during the last 70 years the word “protection” has not greatly changed its meaning in Ger man official circles.

With regard to the occupation of New Guinea, the same writer states: “This exertion of economic and cultural influ ences w*ould certainly not have been pos sible, in such a short time, had it not been that the missionaries, to a great degree, worked for the pacification and enlightenment of the natives. . . . The seed thev planted has been preserved.

One need only refer to the huge growth of the mission field in Kaiser Wilheims land (New Guinea).”

FROM the beginning of the Nazi regime Hitler has seen the value of en couraging missionary activity to achieve his aims. Immediately after his accession to power, the German Foreign Office issued a statement which concluded with the following words: “It is of the greatest importance for the cultural in terest of Germany that the maintenance of the mission stations is safeguarded.

Especially in the former German colonies is the Berlin Missionary Society a very strong factor in preserving Germanism.”

If the missions were not carrying on political work, it would be impossible to understand why—when religion inside Germany was being persecuted—the Nazis were prepared to spend precious foreign exchange in subsidising missions abroad. It would be impossible to under stand the protest wrung from the lips of Walter Braun, head of the Berlin Missionary Society, who said in 1935: “Our missionary work among the people

does not spring from national or economic exigencies, but alone from Holy Scripture . . . We repudiate the mixing of mission ary work with political or economic aims.”

This is a sincere note of alarm sounded by a veteran in missionary activity. But, after the fate of Niemoller and countless other clericals who dared oppose Hitler, one can imagine just how much effect Braun’s protest would have.

The Nazis have stated clearly and un equivocally the role that the mission stations are expected to play. Quoting again from the Book of German Colonies, published by the German Colonial League, in the chapter dealing with Tanganyika, the writer states: “When the German missions extend their districts ever wider afield, so that an ever greater part of the country becomes and remains German, that becomes the most effective prepar atory work for the taking over of Tan ganyika, in the name of Germany.”

THE purpose of the rapidly-extending mission stations in New Guinea has been the same as those in other colonies —to prepare the ground for eventual renossession. According to figures published in the “Book of German Colonies”, the number of missionaries in New Guinea has greatly increased since the last war, and in 1937 the number of natives under German control was ten times greater than in 1914.

Non-German planters have complained that —unless they bribed the missionaries —they were unable to obtain labour in the vicinity of German mission stations, because the missionaries used their in fluence with the natives to prevent them working elsewhere without their permis sion.

The German missions even refused to co-operate with the Government’s edu cational scheme, which was based on a system of grants when the natives had acquired a certain standard, including a working knowledge of English. The Ger man missions actually refused to co operate on the grounds that they objected to teaching the natives English.

To the layman, it seems incomprehen sible that this state of affairs should have been allowed to continue. We have carried a policy of leniency to the ex treme. It lias taken 12 months to round up a few of the German missionaries— most of whom, by the way, have the physique and bearing of storm-troopers rather than of missionaries—and a Ger man mission is still allowed to own and fly a plane from its aerodrome at Sek.

Added to this is the insufferable in sult of Father Madigan, in stating that the Germans have been interned as an act of personal revenge on the part of “degenerate’ local officials.

It is to be hoped that the incident will serve to awaken responsible officials to the need for a general clean-up in the New Guinea situation.

A typhoon which reached a velocity of 115 miles an hour struck Wake Island (in the North Pacific, between Hawaii and Guam) on October 18 and caused a considerable amount of damage to the Pan American Airways base. As a re sult, air schedules on the route be tween the United States and the Philippines were interrupted for several days.

The schooner “Caroline”, a fortnight out from Apia, Samoa, with a crew of eight Islanders, under the command of Captain C. O. Anderson, arrived at Auck land, NZ, on October 30.