1950 - Religion

Religion

The passion play performed by Oberammergau villagers in Bavaria since 1634 casts in the role of Jesus a man who has been convicted of being a Nazi (he will play the role again in 1960, and 10 years later will become the play's artistic director). The late Adolf Hitler attended performances on two occasions, and the passion play retains its anti-Semitic character.

Pope Pius XII proclaims the dogma of the bodily assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States is created by 25 Protestant and four Eastern Orthodox church groups with 32 million members. Church attendance by members of all denominations will remain strong through the end of the century, but the horrific events of World War II have persuaded many Britons and Europeans that God does not exist, and regular church attendance in Britain will fall to about 6 percent.