Honors Theses
Advisor
Oliver Knabe, Ph.D.
Department
Global Languages and Cultures
Publication Date
4-22-2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Alfred Rosenberg was born in Revel, Estonia. After moving to Munich in 1918, he became one of the founding members of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei [National-Socialist German Workers Party], NSDAP. In 1930, Rosenberg wrote one of his most influential publications, Der Mythus des 20. Jahrhunderts [The Myth of the 20th Century], which challenges the idea of organized religion. In this three part publication, Rosenberg established values based in German ethnonationalism, which would later amalgamate into a new religion based on neopaganist ideals. Nazi-era neopaganism is a religion rooted in blood, using the history of the Germanic and Nordic people to create doctrine that connects the German people, the Volk, together. The Volk is a German term that describes the concept of a group of people. This word encompasses race and culture. Neopaganism is used to lift up the Volk, while simultaneously attempting to disenfranchise, discriminate and challenge the existence of different cultures within German society. Rosenberg’s neopaganism rose in popularity in tandem with the Deutschen Evangelischen Kirche [German Evangelical Church], and echoed sentiments of Christian doctrine, Protestant and Catholic. Through the Nazi’s neopaganist movement, a religion rooted in immanentism, Rosenberg mimics Christian rhetoric using parallels that appeal to German citizens. This study uses various works from Alfred Rosenberg and juxtaposes them with the Didache and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This project analyzes Der Mythus des 20. Jahrhundert, Rosenberg’s diary from 1934-1944, and his autobiography, The Memoir of Alfred Rosenberg. Through these works, Rosenberg’s commitment to the concept of Germanic blood helped to shape a religion that was born through racist and ethnically charged rhetoric to create a homogenous civilization.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.
Keywords
Undergraduate research
eCommons Citation
Theewis, Shaun, "Religion for the Un-Religious: The Nazis’ Use of Religion within the Third Reich" (2026). Honors Theses. 529.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/529
COinS
