It’s 1938 Again, Do You Know Where Your Courage is?

Wednesday was Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"People from Israel to the U.S., and everywhere in between, remember the victims of the Holocaust on April 19. The remembrance day marks the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps 67 years ago," according to an article in the Washington Post.

1938 was a pivotal year in world history. The warning signs were abundant yet the majority chose to ignore them. I understand…people were tired. World War I was not resolved well, nations were struggling to rebuild, recovery from the Great Depression was slow, throw in a few natural disasters and people were just plain tired. It was the perfect time for evil to take shape.

1938 was the year of Kristallnacht when Nazi rioters burned or destroyed 267 synagogues, vandalized or looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, and killed at least 91 Jewish people. They also damaged many Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes as police and fire brigades stood aside. Hitler had written Mein Kemp, built several concentration camps and spoke endlessly about his hatred of the Jews, but the prevailing reaction was pretty much, “it’s none of my business, it doesn’t affect me personally.”   

Today, our warnings come not from the Nazi party but from another group that met with and learned from Hitler, the Muslim Brotherhood. 2012 brings increasing reports of hundreds of Christians murdered and their churches burned to the ground as they are chased out of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Iraq and Iran. The worldwide response?  Appeasement and denial. Give in to their demands and maybe they will not hate us.

The Muslim Brotherhood, partnered with Hamas and Hezbollah, has a saying, "first the Saturday people, then the Sunday people", meaning Jews first then the Christians.

Poland, France, Russia, Great Britain, and others all thought that if they appeased Hitler, gave him a little more land then he would go away and play nice. No one wanted to believe the evil depth of his plans. Each leader thought too highly of their own negotiation skills while making treaties with him. Everyone was proven wrong.

Yet thousands of regular people decided in 1938 to choose courage in the face of evil. It took courage to accept the truth about Hitler’s plans and intentions. It took courage to oppose the Nazis in every way whether big or small. It took courage to speak up and tell the world.

2012 will prove no less pivotal than 1938. With every new report of mobs murdering Christians and burning their churches, it’s our turn to decide for courage or appeasement. It’s our turn to accept the truth and oppose the evil intentions of The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah. The time for courage is now.