Remus Lupin
March 9th, 2009, 11:57 pm
I was just watching an excellent movie called "The Hiding Place". It's a true story about a Christian family from Holland during WW2 who hid jews from the Nazis.
The "Ten Boom" family were all gifted watchmakers. When they saw what the Nazi's were doing, they starting hiding jews from them.
They as strong Christians knew what the Nazis were doing was wrong.
Sadly most other Christians turned a blind eye. Even their own pastor told their father flat out it how foolish it was to wear the star of david on his clothing like the jews were being forced to do at that time. The father Jasper Ten Boom told his pastor it is wrong for someone who a follower of Christ to stand by and watch others suffer like this.
Later when the jews were being deported to death camps, The family starting hiding Jews knowing that they themselves risk certain death if caught.
Sadly that came true when the Nazis learned of what was going on and arrested the whole family.
Later most of the "Ten Boom" family involved was killed.
Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy who were still alive were sent to Ravensbruk Concentration Camp.
What they suffered was beyond horrific. Both sisters starting witnessing other prisoners while they stayed in that prison.
Betsy would later die in the camp. A few weeks after her death, Corrie was released from Ravensbruk.
A few years later Corrie Ten Boom had to chance to meet with one of the female guards who was among the most brutal of them all.
Corrie before hand didn't think she could muster enough to forgive her.
She prayed and prayed and finally she met her face to face.As she wrote in her book 'The Hiding place":
"or a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then."
She forgave her right there.
Here is something else to ponder. The majority of those who helped the jews in Nazi occupied countries were evengalicals Christians themselves.
Here are my questions.
1. If you were in Nazi Germany at the time and seen what was gonig on, would you of done the same as what the family did under risking being killed?
2. How did you see christians including the pastor himself turning a blind-eye when this was all happening?
3. Could you forgive someone who was dispicable as the guard Corrie shook hands with was?
The "Ten Boom" family were all gifted watchmakers. When they saw what the Nazi's were doing, they starting hiding jews from them.
They as strong Christians knew what the Nazis were doing was wrong.
Sadly most other Christians turned a blind eye. Even their own pastor told their father flat out it how foolish it was to wear the star of david on his clothing like the jews were being forced to do at that time. The father Jasper Ten Boom told his pastor it is wrong for someone who a follower of Christ to stand by and watch others suffer like this.
Later when the jews were being deported to death camps, The family starting hiding Jews knowing that they themselves risk certain death if caught.
Sadly that came true when the Nazis learned of what was going on and arrested the whole family.
Later most of the "Ten Boom" family involved was killed.
Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy who were still alive were sent to Ravensbruk Concentration Camp.
What they suffered was beyond horrific. Both sisters starting witnessing other prisoners while they stayed in that prison.
Betsy would later die in the camp. A few weeks after her death, Corrie was released from Ravensbruk.
A few years later Corrie Ten Boom had to chance to meet with one of the female guards who was among the most brutal of them all.
Corrie before hand didn't think she could muster enough to forgive her.
She prayed and prayed and finally she met her face to face.As she wrote in her book 'The Hiding place":
"or a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then."
She forgave her right there.
Here is something else to ponder. The majority of those who helped the jews in Nazi occupied countries were evengalicals Christians themselves.
Here are my questions.
1. If you were in Nazi Germany at the time and seen what was gonig on, would you of done the same as what the family did under risking being killed?
2. How did you see christians including the pastor himself turning a blind-eye when this was all happening?
3. Could you forgive someone who was dispicable as the guard Corrie shook hands with was?