Name: Anonymous 2007-02-08 19:23
since this keeps being brought up, Hitler was a Christian, not an atheist. see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_religious_beliefs
it's a different deal than with Stalin. the state atheism and persecution of religious people in the soviet union wasn't necessarily about science or a scientific mindset, but about absolute control. "religion is opium for the masses" and all that, so it was seen as reactionary and harmful to the goals of building socialism.
I deride the reasoning abilities of anyone who brings this up as a refutation to the argument that religion has been a constant source of conflict and misery in the world. the religious fundamentalists are out to convert or destroy everyone else, and the closet theists and moderate Christians are inadvertently helping them.
if you need examples, look at the religious bigotry against the queer minorities, the Gaza strip (Jews vs. Muslims), Shiia Islam vs. Sunni Islam (Muslims literally killing each other), when religious dogma interferes with critical areas of science that could be used to save lives (like stem cell research), the frigging Spanish inquisition or the crusades, etc. you can go on and on, and find examples of murder in the name of faith. does some occasional church charity justify all this?
maybe think about it the next time you go on promoting your faith or vilifying the atheists. if people like Dawkins offend you by shooting holes in your world views or just brushing off your cheesy arguments, or if you feel belittled by their blunt tone, you should fix yourself and deal with it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_religious_beliefs
it's a different deal than with Stalin. the state atheism and persecution of religious people in the soviet union wasn't necessarily about science or a scientific mindset, but about absolute control. "religion is opium for the masses" and all that, so it was seen as reactionary and harmful to the goals of building socialism.
I deride the reasoning abilities of anyone who brings this up as a refutation to the argument that religion has been a constant source of conflict and misery in the world. the religious fundamentalists are out to convert or destroy everyone else, and the closet theists and moderate Christians are inadvertently helping them.
if you need examples, look at the religious bigotry against the queer minorities, the Gaza strip (Jews vs. Muslims), Shiia Islam vs. Sunni Islam (Muslims literally killing each other), when religious dogma interferes with critical areas of science that could be used to save lives (like stem cell research), the frigging Spanish inquisition or the crusades, etc. you can go on and on, and find examples of murder in the name of faith. does some occasional church charity justify all this?
maybe think about it the next time you go on promoting your faith or vilifying the atheists. if people like Dawkins offend you by shooting holes in your world views or just brushing off your cheesy arguments, or if you feel belittled by their blunt tone, you should fix yourself and deal with it.