In 1941, during the Nazi regime in Germany, the Church of Christ, Scientist, along with many other churches, was banned. Christian Scientists, like Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and some ethnic groups, were interrogated, harassed, and sometimes sent to forced labor or concentration camps. And, too, there were many millions of Jews who lost their lives or suffered terribly at the hands of the Nazi government.
After the liberation of Germany, approximately half of Germany and of Berlin remained under communist control. Suddenly a new form of oppression arose. In 1951, Christian Science was again banned in East Germany; public worship for Christian Scientists was made illegal. Then, in 1961, the infamous wall went up almost overnight in Berlin, cutting family members and church groups off from one another.
For more than forty years Christian Scientists were prevented from openly worshiping and practicing their religion. The lessons of those years are now coming to light. They carry an inspiring message for the Church today— a message that burns with intensity and can only increase in meaning. We talked with , of Berlin, a Contributing Editor for the religious periodicals and Clerk's Representative.
