If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

[Red Gold]

I hope this question is ok.
I am really interested in the answer - as a German.


If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

 

[Red Gold]

Now I wonder ....

 

[chevyontheriver]

I hope this question is ok.
I am really interested in the answer - as a German.


If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

Never felt bad about it. At all. But then my German ancestors were in the USA well before Hitler came to power. I think individual Germans who went along with Hitler should have grappled with that failing but that's not at all on every German. Nor is it on every German what happened in the earlier Kulturekampf or anything else.

 

[Red Gold]

• Total voters 3
• No option has got 2 votes yet

 

[PsaltiChrysostom]

Shrug, I'm 50% German by heritage and I have a German Jewish last name. Doesn't affect me one way or another.

 

[Red Gold]

Now 2 out of 4 say:

neither good nor bad​

 

[Blade]

Feel bad about what? Say what you mean. Well there is no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus. Some believers say sorry to Jewish people because of what some under the banner of "Christian" did to them in the past. I could bring this home and just talk about what Biden has done under his few years of being president or going back just to WWII and Japan and what happen to how many women children elderly? Or just talk about my world where my family being my late dad who was Nez Perce Indian. There are some real horror stories there.

See we as man measure sin like 0-10 lets say and 10 being worse yet with God its all under one roof He hates it all and a simple lie which at times we call "white lie' that we say to our selfs its to help them yet its sin and it will never enter heaven. But truth matters and that is Christ already came died for the sin of the world. You receive it or you don't. If you don't then there is more sacrifice for that sin. So if my family was there or just here or some other nation.. I still feel great happy. Really? Every nation has a past and did something evil. Its what GOD has already done.. PRAISE GOD GLORY TO JESUS for coming dying for the sin of the world. He is what matters not what some man or fallen angel thinks. He loves you died for you and forgave ALL.. all is all and that's all all means.

 

[godisagardener]

How should or could they feel about what?

My mother is German. She was born in Germany, grew up there, lived through a war there as a child and young teen. What is she supposed to feel something about?

Why should people with German background be singled out to feel something about which you don't specify? Why not ask how people's Russian ancestors could or should feel about something? Or South African. Japanese. People from Myanmar. Congo. Cambodia.

The population of an authoritarian country doesn't always reflect the ideals of of its leadership. Most of the time they themselves are caught in a trap they can't escape from.

 

[Red Gold]

How should or could they feel about what?

It all depends.
It is a wide topic.

 

[Gene2memE]

Is this about the murdering? I think it's about the murdering.

If it is, I don't think anyone should be more ashamed of their ancestors than anyone who has ancestors from a European colonial power (France, Britain, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Italy), or from most modern African or Asia states. Even the colonies don't get off lightly - see the cases of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the US.

 

[Larniavc]

I hope this question is ok.
I am really interested in the answer - as a German.


If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

I have a German ancestor. I’ve never really thought about it.

 

[Agra man]

You know I have jewish ancesters who escaped the catholic church sailed to Italy then came to America no doubt I have had those in my family who endured the tragity of that event.

But why should my families past or the germans bloodshed affect who I am today? I didin't have anything to do with it. What matters is who are in Christ german or not.

My best friend from several years was actually german

 

[peaceful-forest]

I hope this question is ok.
I am really interested in the answer - as a German.


If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

Please be precise in what you are talking about.

Many speculate that it's about the Holocaust, but we all need to be sure in order to have the conversation you are seeking.

 

[Red Gold]

Please be precise in what you are talking about.

I think I am precise enough.
Germany is a many-splendoured country.
There are about 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 ways to think or feel of Germany, not just one.

 

[Nithavela]

I'm pretty sure they'd feel bad about being my ancestors after seeing my internet search history, if that's what you mean.

 

[Larniavc]

I also have French ancestry. And some from the Arabian peninsula.

 

[MehGuy]

I used to have general white guilt, but thankfully that all melted away. Given that... I'm certainly not going to feel bad for the small amount of German ancestry I do have, lol.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

I could have chosen neither good nor bad, but chose quite normal. I feel like the two are sort of saying the same thing.

My ancestors came over in the 1830s, fought for the Union during the Civil War (fought as in were businessmen/skilled works supplying the Union Army) But my ancestors were Jews while we were in Germany. They weren't very orthodox though because the one married a Lutheran Woman for convenience (his wife died and he had a son). After he died, Jacob was pretty much raised Lutheran. But Jacob would never eat shellfish til the day he died, because his father told him so. He ate pork though because his step-mother said it was okay.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Also, I don't really jive with past sins and histories. We do not bear the guilt of our fathers, and so I do not hold any generation accountable for any evil they've done. Forgiveness is important for a successful future, whether Jew, German, English, Chinese, Japanese, etc. I think most people embrace their heritage and every heritage comes with some not so flattering aspects, but that doesn't mean those sins are our sins. It happened. Learn from it. Move on.

 

[TheLastGeek]

I hope this question is ok.
I am really interested in the answer - as a German.


If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

I chose "quite normal". I have German ancestry. I'm proud of it. Germany and its people have an amazing history, and much to be proud of.

Now, if you're REALLY trying to ask "How would you feel if your direct ancestors were Nazis?" then you should clarify that.