Relocation did not subvert Nikkei religious freedom. Until recently, historians have hardly noticed, yet religion was central to the Nikkei. The centers were split between Christians and Buddhists. The presence of Buddhism, a subsidized enemy religion, famously illustrates the point. The Protestants fought for the Nikkei from the very beginning. They admitted the overriding necessity of military security, but not mass evacuation. Once relocation occurred, mainline Protestants then worked to help Japanese Americans, and so did Catholics and Episcopalians. This meant a lot to the Nikkei, who initially felt almost completely abandoned.