GOP Candidate: Church-State Separation Came From Hitler?

The separation of church and state has been a political idea for a LONG time. In the west the idea got started among the masses when the British tired of the wars over Catholicism vs Protestantism. It wasn't even an original idea for the founding fathers of the USA when the Constitution was written. Claiming Hitler had anything to do with originating the idea is comically ignorant.



Update:

In the comment below, the eternally ignorant "DM" claims:

And the Pope is 100% correct: The Nazis and the atheists both wish to ABOLISH FAITH....

Reality however conspires to prove both him and the Pop wrong. You see, Hitler was NOT an atheist.

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord."
- Adolf Hitler, 1943

"The task of preserving and advancing the highest humanity, given to this earth by the benvolence of the Almighty, seems a truly high mission"
- Adolf Hitler, 1943

"A campaign against the "godless movement" and an appeal for Catholic support were launched Wednesday by Chancellor Adolf Hitler's forces."
- Associated Press, 1933

In a speech delivered in Berlin, October 24, 1933, Hitler stated: "We were convinced that the people needs and requires this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out."

Let's be blunt here. Hitler hated atheists and considered them enemies of the state.

Note that the "National Socialism" in this next quote refers to the NAZI party, not Communism as practiced in the USSR.

In a speech delivered at Koblenz, August 26, 1934 Hitler states: "There may have been a time when even parties founded on the ecclesiastical basis were a necessity. At that time Liberalism was opposed to the Church, while Marxism was anti-religious. But that time is past. National Socialism neither opposes the Church nor is it anti-religious, but on the contrary, it stands on the ground of a real Christianity. The Church's interests cannot fail to coincide with ours alike in our fight against the symptoms of degeneracy in the world of to-day, in our fight against the Bolshevist culture, against an atheistic movement, against criminality, and in our struggle for the consciousness of a community in our national life, for the conquest of hatred and disunion between the classes, for the conquest of civil war and unrest, of strife and discord. These are not anti-Christian, these are Christian principles."

Anyone claiming Hitler was an atheist or was motivated by atheism is, in making that claim, revealing that they are either painfully and pathetically ignorant of the topic upon which they speak, or are perfectly happy to deliberately lie to advance their agenda. Given the current Pope's past of deliberately hiding pedophiles to shield them from the legal consequences of raping children, my guess is that he's intentionally lying. I don't know about DM. My suspicion is that he's just an ignorant idiot, as that theory is more consistent with his other comments.