Blood and Soul: A Comparative Analysis of Pagan and Christian Fascist Traditions

Introduction

Religion-inspired fascism has existed nearly as long as fascistic tendencies themselves. This makes immediate sense with fascism often desiring a return to tradition and religious thought and tradition fitting together well. What is a bit more surprising to modern audiences living in the era of prominent Christo-fascism is that Pagan-inspired fascism has historically been quite influential as well. This may initially sound contradictory, considering modern stereotypes about Neo-Pagans being socially progressive hippies. Alas, history is more complex than that and, in the modern day, people who fulfill part of that stereotype may diverge from it in other ways. The differences between Christian and Pagan fascism often come down to different interpretations of Christianity and its relevance to European culture, as this will focus on European and white American-based fascism specifically. Intriguingly, there have also been some overlap in Christianity and Pagan thought in some traditions. 

The People of the Land

First off, the practice of pre-Christian traditions in Europe among those who view the past of Europe as something grand to return to is far more sensible when put in that context. If fascism is an ideology of nostalgia, spiritual practices of the past would be included in that. Pagan traditions originating from Germany, Scandinavia, or any other European country were additionally seen as having ties to the land, what with each mythos pertaining to the climate and terrain of the respective countries. Early spiritual fascists were deeply into applying these interpretations to astrology, expanding the idea of predestination according to location not only to the location of one’s birth in terms of country, but in space as well. Phrenology and palmistry carried on the idea that one’s physical features could determine elements of who one is as a person. Much of fascist Paganism involved not just a spiritual connection to the land, common in general Paganism, but adding an element of superiority. The people of Germany or whichever country were not only connected to it spiritually, but that was where the best people were.

Against Christian Meritocracy

Actively anti-Christian fascism went about this from multiple directions. Part of it was Christianity being viewed as a “Jewish invention,” what with Jesus being a Jewish man. European fascism of yore, as with today, had long held an antisemitic slant. Consider how this would be continued under Nazi Germany when much of mainstream science was rejected due to how much of it was established by Jewish scientists. However, there is more to it than that. Going back to the perception of local Paganism being inherent to the land and the people of that land, Christianity, a religion of conversion, was seen as a foreign invasion. The pacificist tendencies of early Christianity were also unappealing to those who viewed themselves as conquerors. In addition, the image of Christianity as loving and accepting all converts was seen as an equalizing force for people of different lands. A meritocratic faith would go against the idea of any group of people being inherently superior because of the land from which they originated. This is also part of why so much early fascism was anti-capitalist as well, not because of critiques relating to mistreatment of workers, but because of its perception of meritocracy, that one could become something of nothing rather than being born into inherent greatness. 

Give Me a Savior

It would not be long before the embrace of a perceived meritocracy would fit right into fascism; if one is truly a member of the naturally best people, then a meritocratic society would be beneficial. The best people were capable of making the best choices and producing the best results with what they had. The concept of sinners was a great way to write off an entire segment of the population as inferior. It helped that many occultic-fascist Christians followed Gnostic Christian sects which believed that the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament were separate beings; the old in fact being the demonic “Demiurge,” providing a solution for the paradox of embracing a religion with Jewish influences. The more important factor in inducting Christianity into fascism, however, was less in the superiority of one’s own, but one person in particular: the messiah. The ancient myths provided plenty of heroes already. There has been some suggestion that not even the actual history provided the inspiration for the fascistic nostalgia but an illusion created by myths as well as more modern fantasy stories, but that is another topic. Christianity had its own collection of holy figures to look up to, the most important being Jesus. In addition to him being a hero of yore to provide important nostalgic inspiration, he was also said to return some day. This gives believers a hope for a return to a better time and escape from the ills they see in the world. Many Christo-fascists specifically follow millenarian beliefs that the end is near, so Jesus will be returning soon. In some cases, it has been believed that the messiah has existed in the form of fascist leaders.

The Need for Ritual

Something that greatly differentiates much of modern conservative Christianity to earlier Christo-fascism was the perception of Pagan influences. Many sects of Protestantism and newer Christian movements such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses are famous for denying certain images or going as far as to not celebrate holidays due to the pre-Christian influences on imagery and rituals. However, some earlier Christo-fascists embraced this. For example, Nazis used the carrying on of their own pre-Christian rituals in Christian traditions as an example of how inherent these practices were to German people. Perhaps this is one element of fascism that truly makes it distinct from general right-wing ideology: the element of ritual. Whether Pagan, Christian, or anything else, religion makes for an easy element to combine with fascism because of how rituals play into tradition as well as an event that the group can participate in together. This is not to say that all religion is inherently fascistic in nature, but it has elements that can be utilized thusly. 

Unscientific Leanings

Science denial has been an important part of combining spirituality and fascism. As previously mentioned, Nazis rejected much of modern science due to the proportion of Jewish scientists at the time. In place of real science were beliefs about spiritual connections to the lost land of Lemuria and Hanns Hörbiger’s Weltishlehre (“Ice World Theory”). The concept that the ancient Aryans were a mystical people who lost their powers due to race mixing provided quite the argument in favor of genocide. These were not ideas developed from in-depth research, but visions and dreams. If one believes in a special, spiritual connection to the land, something simply occurring to one sounds just as valid, if not more, than performing experiments and doing research. This continues into the modern day as science proves that there is no genetic basis to the concept of race and ideas like “IQ differences” being caused by hunger and lead poisoning rather than inherent intelligence. It is perhaps no coincidence that several prominent occultic fascists have been some form of artist, from Hitler the painter to playwright Rudolph John Gorsleben, people for whom the creations of their own minds bear more importance than observed reality. Unfortunately, they could not tell the difference. 

Enter Trad-Caths

It is difficult to place the exact moment in which western religious fascism went from being more Pagan to more Christian. Certainly, there are still Pagan fascists today, though they are outnumbered by Christo-fascists. The embrace of capitalistic-fascism likely played a role, considering how Christianity and capitalism were often combined in the past with ideas of supposed choice and meritocracy. Another observation of note is how Christo-fascism in the United States in particular has changed sects. Traditionally, Christo-fascism in the US has been seen as the haven of Evangelical Protestants. While this is still the case for some, there has been a steady rise since the late 2010s of Catholic-leaning Christo-fascists. Many have specifically identified with pre-Vatican II traditionalist Catholicism which involves keeping mass in Latin, women wearing veils in church, and refraining from eating red meat on Fridays, among other differences from the more lax modern Catholicism. Catholicism of all stripes is known for its strong aesthetics, but the “trad Caths” are returning to a time when this was even truer. The requirement of some knowledge of another language and differentiating oneself dietarily make participants stand out from their peers. It definitely has a psychological effect and brings one back to another time. One wonders how this will continue to impact the social and political landscape of the country over the next few years.

Sources

This work was heavily inspired by books Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology and Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. YouTuber Lady of the Library proved to be a valuable source of information on some of the myths. Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right by Matthew Dallek and Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America by Will Sommer also provided important modern context. Everything else was based on the author’s own observations, both in person and online, and general conclusions.