by ÁrbolesdeArabia 73 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Well a quick google search reveals that around 800 million have died in religious wars, even if I give you hitler and stalin you aren't going to match that number anytime soon.
Lennon had it right, a world without religions/God would be so much better.
Nazi ideology was about racial prejuidices and had nothing to do with religious endeavors. The "Hitler Ping Pong" game continues, Captain Obvious, I am sorry but I need to delete my above post, I like what you wrote and I did not give it proper justice! Please excuse my hasty reply, I am not use to such a relatively civil discussion with you Teddy Bear Atheists here.
Dinesh D'Soua is far from an idiot...I like to listen to him debate. But...IMO he is wrong about a LOT of things.
And besides...atheism is just non belief in any god. It is not an organised group. There are some organised groups but they do not represent ALL atheists. They speak for themselves.
Germany was predominantly a 'christian' nation.
The propaganda by the Christian churches in regard to their role during WWII in Fascist Italy, Yugoslavia, and Nazi Germany has so conditioned their believers that most of them believe that Christianity played an honorable role at best, and only a silent role at worst. Yet there seems little recognition that the very framework of the beliefs owned by the Fascists and Nazis came from their Christian upbringing from church, school, and Christian traditions. The entire anti-Jewish and racial sentiments came not from some new philosophy or unique ideology, but rather from centuries of Christian preaching against the Jews, gypsies, and heretics. This comes especially true for European countries, for the Christian practice of crusades, inquisitions and holy wars occurred in their own backyards. Moreover, the wars conducted by Providence, approved by God, appears so often in the Bible, and practiced by Christians throughout the centuries has disciplined Christians to believe that they could engage in offensive war honorably and even worse-- morally. One must remember that the Catholic raised and Protestant conditioned Hitler took his cause of war for an expanded Germany and his fight against the Jews, for Providence's sake, and a fight for the Lord. He appealed to his fellow German Christians to put him in power and he achieved popular support. I find it unimaginable that Hitler, without this religious foundation, could have churches, politicians and citizens electing him into office, much less have acted against the Jews.
History will show that it is "Politics, not religion is the real force behind the mass murders." Not that there haven't been victims of past religious wars. But if you consider the 60 million death toll under Soviet Communism, the 30 million deaths under Chinese Communism, the 4 million deaths under Cambodian Communism, the 35 million Chinese deaths from Japanese militarism, and the 6 million Jews killed under Nazism, to name a few examples of the 20th Century, it seems that you are in greater danger of being killed by your government than your church, mosque, temple, or synagogue .
Athanasius...History will show that it is "Politics, not religion is the real force behind the mass murders.
I am still undecided about that. The role of christianity and belief certainly plays a role. It has to since the vast majority of the world hold some sort of belief or other.
I am inclinded to think that this saying is true..."religion is the opiate of the masses" and quite often enables corrupt governments to easily control their people. The more religion, the easier they are to control. For example, in cambodia the population is predominantly buddhist...peace loving people. It wasn't too difficult for the Khmer Rouge to take over and dictate to them.
And then you have Islam...that IS their government.
Hi Still Thinking.
Marx may have said that religion is the opiate of the people, but the Soviet Union, which had the worst record for killing their own people, was anti-religious. In fact atheism was promoted by the Soviet system.
While I do share your concern about certain segments of Islam, I'm more concerned about the politico-economic forces that are gaining control of our world.
Biblical Christianity is about relationship OVER religion. AS JW's we were prevented from having a relationship with the risen Savior. Lots of so-called Christian religions socialize their members (knowingly and not) to varying degrees to have a relationship with their religion and not Jesus.
Some "Christians" sort of get the idea that Jesus did his thing and now its time for the religion to take over. Biblical Christians have a day to day relitionship with the living diety - the resurrected Jesus Christ. He is very much alive and in total control of everything, expecially life. He presides over a decaying and dying world, aliented from a righteous and Holy God.
No person in relationship with Christ is committing genocide. That's absurd. Jesus is about loving your enemies to the extent possible.
Hitlers arrangement was an intensely religious think and thing. Stalin/Lenin were a secular religion state, leader worship as gods,
stirring the higher emotions.
I see a true atheist as devoid of such delusions, and do not believe an atheist would kill just because he/she is such.
Wt attacks fellow religionists, their perceived competitors, except islam that scares them.
Wt real danger is truth, and truth is not a killer, athough they maight kill you because you seek it.
seek a safe haven from attackers.
Though we love to call them swaztikas in Germany they are called hakenkruis (broken crosses in English) and symbol of Christianity in Austria were Hitler was raised. Also in many propoganda films Christian symbolism was used over and over to make it seem as if God ordained Hitler to be ruler of the Third Holy Roman Empire or as we here in the states like to call it the Third Reich.
