Former East Germany Teaches the United States the True Meaning of Heritage

St. Mary's and St. Severi at the Domberg  

I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to tour the area of former East Germany the summer of 2018 with the Utah Baroque Ensemble.  We sang in a number of cathedrals.  It changed my life in many ways and, reflecting on those experiences today, I wanted to share some of those insights especially in light of what we are currently experiencing politically in the United States.  Former East Germany is a particularly good example for us to study as their people experienced intense political upheaval:
Wiemar Republic to Nazi Germany to a Marxist-Leninist regime back to reunification to a Federal Republic.  This happened from 1930 to early 1990's a period of only 60 years.

One of the most amazing cities experiencing political turmoil through the centuries would be Erfurt.  The capital of Thuringia, Erfurt remains simple and unspoiled in many ways, all of them good.  There is so much history here, I could go on and on for several pages.  Most of these pictures are my own.  This is not a tourist excursion, however, it is a lesson we need to learn as Americans and also young people worldwide.

Two of the most famous historic churches and cathedrals sit adjacent:  Dom St. Marien (The Cathedral of St. Mary) and St. Severi at the Domberg both more than 1.200 years old in origin.  St. Mary's is the ordination site of Martin Luther where he began his ministry as a Roman Catholic Priest.  These two churches remained standing in spite the political upheaval associated with the Reformation and beyond.  These cathedrals have even switched from Roman Catholic owned, to Lutheran and back to Roman Catholic, still standing.  Young rioters getting a hint here?? 

Foolish Virgin Depicted

At the entrance to St. Mary's, the 10 virgins from the parables are depicted in statue form.  On one side stand the 5 wise and the other the 5 foolish.  Historically, the 5 foolish virgins are depicted as Jewish.  WHAT IF USING THE LOGIC OF RIOTERS TODAY THESE STATUES WERE TORN DOWN BECAUSE THEY ARE ANTI-SEMITIC?!  Incidentally, Erfurt also maintains one of the oldest synagogues in Europe dating back to the 11th century.  Amazing how art and architecture can still be allowed to stand even if does not depict the values 
of our time??!!    

Building on the grounds of the Petersberg Citadel

This is another fascinating piece of history in Erfurt: Petersberg Citadel.  The citadel was built on Petersberg hill, in the north-western part of the old town centre from 1665.  Erfurt has also been ruled by Sweden, Prussia, Napoleon, the German Empire, the Nazis, and post-World War II Soviet occupying forces, and it was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). All of these regimes used Petersberg Citadel and had an influence on its development.   Massive reconstruction has taken place since reunification.  This picture is a part of the building still in need of reconstruction but I snapped it for a reason.  LOOK! IT WAS NEVER LIT ON FIRE BY RIOTERS FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS IN SPITE OF IT REPRESENTING A NUMBER OF INVADING EMPIRES!

Finally, a crowning pièce de résistance.  This is a picture of the ruins of Frauen Kirche in Dresden Germany as restoration construction begins.  It was fire bombed in World War II and left unrestored until the German reunification.  


This is the altar in the newly restored Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).  Stunning... Beautiful Baroque representation.  Watching the setting sun hit the gold leafing and statues was awe inspiring, the picture does not do it justice.  And then, singing on this very spot with a choir designed specifically in size and volume for a cathedral just like this has changed me forever.  I was not the same and the memory is there to always hold.

I only give a few examples here but enough is enough, America.  We have only been around a few hundred years, we do not have as many physical monuments as we see around the world but we should hold onto the few we do have at the very least!  Yes, there are Confederate statues and plantations that need to be put in their proper place, not destroyed.  The statue of Lincoln freeing the slaves could go in a museum and be replaced with one of him and Frederick Douglas looking each other in the eye and shaking hands.   But, erasing and destroying that part of history?  The majority should not stand for it.  

The one main thing we should hold to is our threatened creed: Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.  We have not always lived up to that creed, but it is ours and that is worth something.  We have lived up to it better than almost every other nation and that also is worth not throwing it away and replacing it a Marxist alternative.  We have a very small in comparison, vocal, violent, loud and destructive faction among us wanting to destroy that creed, which is even more dangerous than the destruction of our monuments.  It is backed by the mainstream media, supported by the Democrat Party and feared by the Republican Party.  

My mother would call it throwing the baby out with the bath water.  The baby would be our American Heritage.  The dirty bath water is the racist tendencies and systems we still need to reform and fix (mostly perpetuated in the urban centers of blue states by elected officials for their own political gain).  The cultural revolution Marxist tactics of erasing our history and classifying it as one hundred percent racist and evil needs to be refuted and defeated.  Tearing down our monuments is just the beginning of what they really want to destroy, they will not stop there.  This group will tear down the Freedom capital we have built with the blood, sweat, tears of our Fallen, our Vets, our ingenuity, our innovators, our hard workers. 

So, how do we begin a dialogue?  I am not sure.  This feels like another Civil War.  We do need to be better at drawing a line in the sand and holding our ground until they can calm down a little. 

Germany managed to do it primarily because deep down culturally they have a strong sense of their history in spite of whatever political winds may be blowing.   I know we have that in America, we just need to get back our back bone and stand, not kneel.