Adolf Hitler's Religious Views - Views As A Youth

Views As A Youth

Hitler's father Alois, though nominally a Catholic, was somewhat religiously skeptical, while his mother Klara was a practicing Catholic. At the Benedictine monastery school which Hitler attended for one school year as a child (1897–1898), Hitler became top of his class, receiving twelve 1s, the highest grade in the final quarter. He was confirmed on 22 May 1904, and also sang in the choir at the monastery. According to historian Michael Rissmann, young Hitler was influenced in school by Pan-Germanism, and began to reject the Catholic Church, receiving Confirmation only unwillingly. Rissmann also relates a story where a boyhood friend claimed that after Hitler had left home, he never again attended Mass or received the sacraments.

According to an interview with a British correspondent years after the First World War, Hitler claimed a mysterious voice told him to leave a section of a crowded trench during a minor barrage. Moments after he left the trench, a shell fell on that particular spot. Hitler saw this experience as a message that he was a uniquely illuminated individual who had a special task to fulfill. This story did not, however, appear in Mein Kampf.