jayem
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- Jun 24, 2003
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Nope, atheism. In terms of sheer scale and numbers, the atheistic communist countries of the world have been responsible for more deaths than anything else.
No one engages in mass murder in the name of atheism. It's done for political power and control by deranged megalomaniacs. But history is replete with murderous wars fought in the name of religion. Ever heard of the Cathars? (also known as Albignesians.) They were a French Christian sect in the 13th century. They had major doctrinal differences with the Catholic church. Which couldn't tolerate noncomformity, made war against them, and essentially wiped them out. At least 10,000 people died.
https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-life/medieval-religion/albigensians/
Of course, we can't forget the European Catholic/Protestant wars of the 17th century. Christians fighting other Christians over religious differences. About 8,000,000 people died--not just in battle, but also from starvation, disease, and the general social upheaval of a war lasting 30 years.
I'll also mention the Taiping Rebellion. In the mid 19th century, Hong Xiuquan, a failed Chinese civil servant, became enamored with Christianity and got the notion that he was the son of God. (It may have resulted from an illness which affected his drain.) He attracted millions of followers in a sect he called the God Worshiping Society. He formed an army, and took over the city of Nanjing. Which he ruled as an iron-handed dictator for over 10 years. The Qing dynasty eventually took back the city. The final death toll on both sides is estimated at 20,000,000.
Taiping Rebellion
Non-Christian religions have plenty of blood on their hands, too. Thousands of people were killed when the Muslims conquered Constantinople in 1453. Who knows how many prisoners of war were sacrificed by the Aztecs to their sun god? My point is that all these atrocities weren't committed by atheists. They were done in the name of religion. That's why it's dangerous. Religion puts a veneer of righteousness on brutality. As Blaise Pascal said, men never do evil as cheerfully, or as completely, as when they do it from religious conviction.
BTW: My father got one of these as a WW2 souvenir. It's a Wehrmacht uniform belt buckle. The inscription is GOTT MIT UNS. God is with us.
Sorry for the long post.
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