Horpenites
The alliance of fighters for faith and truth , the Horpenites , is a Christian secret society that combines spiritual and philosophical elements. The ideas include the piety of the Lord's Supper , the God-humanity of Jesus with redemption through his sacrificial death as well as the thought of reincarnation and a "mature" occultism .
history
The association was founded around 1920 in Zauckerode near Dresden (today Freital ) and emerged from a circle of friends around Emil Bergmann (1861–1931) and Max Däbritz (1874–1947) that had existed since 1899, and who also founded the Bombastus works . The main heyday of the federal government was the 1920s, when up to 10,000 people are said to have belonged to the federal government. Geographically, the focus was on Saxony and Berlin , although there were also strong groups in other parts of Germany and isolated branches abroad.
After the ban by the National Socialists in 1935, the federal government went underground and stopped public advertising and lecturing. This strategy was maintained under the repressive GDR dictatorship and also in the new Federal Republic . After the death of the organizational and intellectual federal leader Max Däbritz in 1947, there was fragmentation and later a retreat into the smallest private groups.
Very little is known about the development of the federal government in the post-war period. What is certain is that some circles continued to cultivate the values of the Horpenites and that after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 a nationwide organization was created that is still working in secret.
organization
The covenant is divided into seven circles, through which one can, starting as an interested non-member, ascend above the outermost, two middle and three inner circles. The last circle is made up of the 24 "elders". Depending on which district you belong to, you will be initiated into the secrets of the Confederation and later even learn the secret language, from which the term Horpenit (fighter) comes. The recruitment of federal members takes place in the closest circle of friends. Weekly or fortnightly district meetings are disguised as Bible studies and serve as an exchange between the members and further training in the worldview of the covenant.
Central beliefs
- Christianity: largely congruent worldview with that of the Protestant Church in Germany,
- Reincarnation: rejection of eternal damnation as a counterpart to heaven; Believe that the soul has to go through several rebirths on a path of development in order to achieve purification to a divine being,
- Matured occultism: commitment to the existence of spiritual beings (angels, disembodied souls) with whom contact is possible under certain conditions,
- Third testament: in addition to the old and new testaments of the Bible, Emil Bergmann is said to have received a third testament in spiritualistic sessions, which is seen as a revelation of God the Holy Spirit,
- Health / healing: trust in natural remedies and spiritual powers to heal illnesses.
Symbols
The swan's cross is characteristic of the Horpenites. The swan symbolizes the spirit of truth (Holy Spirit of God), which was shown in the sessions with the medium Emil Bergmann. The cross stands for Christianity.
The Rosicrucian Cross (also known as the Radiant Cross) is used as a further symbol, which is supposed to indicate the continuation of the spiritual roots of the Rosicrucians .
literature
Primary literature
- Horpena, the fight, monthly of the covenant of fighters for faith and truth. Däbritz-Verlag 1922–1936.
- Max Däbritz: Law of fate of reincarnation - man lives many times on earth. Däbritz-Verlag 1935.
Secondary literature
- Christian Zschuppe: The League of Fighters for Faith and Truth (Horpenites). A religious secret society of the 20th century. Inaugural dissertation, Hiram Edition 11, Munich 1980.
- Helmut Obst : The attempt at a neutral representation in denominational and “sect studies”: The redemption doctrine of the former “League of fighters for faith and truth” (Horpenites) . In: Theological Trials , Vol. 8 (1977), pp. 157-173. ( Online )
- Helmut Obst: The League of Fighters for Faith and Truth - Horpenites . In: Monthly Issues for Evangelical Church History of the Rhineland , vol. 22 (1973), pp. 235–258.
