mozzaok
Gold Member
Offline
OzPolitic
Posts: 6741
Melbourne
Gender: 
|
Is it your contention that Hitler, whose actual religious status is not confirmed, or others, who were known, avowed atheists, like Pol Pot, Stalin, and Mao, would not have committed genocidal atrocities, if they were not atheists?
Do you contend that their lack of belief in a deity motivated their megalomanic behaviour?
We have seen holy wars, where people have used their religious beliefs as justification for embarking on a course of violence and bloodshed, in the name of their deity of choice.
These events can be fairly laid down as having a significant religious motivation.
We also have seen leaders, who were religious men, create, or join conflicts, and have duly claimed having god on their side, but I do not think we could fairly claim that the motivation for their involvement is because of their religious beliefs.
Now the issue of whether the despots I mentioned above, were actually motivated to perpetrate their genocidal atrocities because of their atheism, is something I have often heard claimed, but never seen expounded upon.
Before I can accept that their Atheism was the driving force behind their murderous acts, I would like to hear some evidence to support the contention, otherwise I would just categorise them as like the second group, of theist leaders I mentioned above, whose religious status, did not form the primary motivation for their actions.
|
Forum
Pages: 
Is Atheism just another religion ? (Read 30200 times)
