The Dark Side of Intelligence: How Communism, Nazism, and Lutheranism Emerged from Germany

By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Democrat, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Christian Conservative LDS Priest 

Throughout history, Germany has been at the center of world-changing ideologies—some of which have led to devastating consequences. Isn’t it strange that the doctrines of Communism (Marxism/Socialism), Nazism, and Lutheranism were all created by Germans? While Germany has produced some of the greatest scientific, philosophical, and theological minds, it has also been the birthplace of some of the most destructive ideologies in human history.

Communism, or more specifically Marxism, was created by Karl Marx, an atheist German Jew who despised religion and sought to replace it with materialist philosophy. Marx’s ideas, outlined in The Communist Manifesto, called for the abolition of private property, class struggle, and the destruction of traditional institutions, including religion. His famous statement, "Religion is the opium of the people," [1] demonstrates his hatred for faith, especially Christianity. Marxism went on to inspire socialist and communist movements worldwide, leading to the deaths of over 100 million people in the 20th century [2].

Nazism, on the other hand, was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). While Hitler sometimes used Christian rhetoric, he was, in reality, an atheist who despised traditional Christianity. He rejected the core principles of the faith and instead pushed a neo-pagan, racialist ideology that sought to replace Christian values with state worship and Germanic supremacy. The Nazi movement, with its emphasis on collectivism, totalitarianism, and racial hierarchy, was eerily similar to Communism in its methods of propaganda, state control, and destruction of dissent.

Even Lutheranism, the Protestant movement started by Martin Luther, has had profound consequences. Though many devout Christians revere Luther for breaking away from the corrupt Catholic Church of his time, Luther’s writings on anti-Semitism and his call for violent suppression of religious dissenters laid the groundwork for much of Germany’s later extremism. His book On the Jews and Their Lies was used as ideological fuel by the Nazis centuries later [3]. Furthermore, Luther’s rejection of free will, as he argued in The Bondage of the Will, helped pave the way for authoritarian interpretations of Christianity that emphasized obedience to rulers rather than personal spiritual accountability.

All three of these ideologies—Communism, Nazism, and Lutheranism—emerged from white Germans, and all of them in different ways reflected the dark side of high intelligence. While intelligence is a gift from God, it can be corrupted when used without faith, morality, and divine guidance. The Germans, known for their rigorous intellectualism and engineering prowess, also created some of the most damaging ideologies because they sought to build utopias based on human reasoning rather than God's will.

In contrast, the Founding Fathers of the United States, many of whom were Christian Freemasons, built a nation upon biblical principles of freedom, agency, and divine law. Unlike Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, or Martin Luther, men like George Washington, James Madison, and John Adams understood that true liberty only comes from God, not from the state. That is why Communism and Nazism will always fail—because they reject God, just as Lucifer did when he sought to establish his own dominion apart from the Almighty.

This historical pattern serves as a stark warning: intelligence without faith can lead to destruction. When people place their trust in man-made ideologies instead of divine truth, they inevitably fall into darkness. Germany’s legacy proves that knowledge and reason alone are not enough—without God, even the most brilliant minds can become the architects of tyranny.

References

1. Karl Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, 1843.
2. The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Harvard University Press, 1999.
3. Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543.