Atheist Atrocities vs Theist Atrocities

Is it theists or atheists who have committed the worst atrocities in history? Does it matter? And if atheists are not theists, does that mean that they can be just anything? Or nothing?

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• atheist
• theist
• religion
• philosophy
• atrocities

[Oceanus57]

I'm sick of hearing these theist nitwits doing their "holier than thou" thing. Hitler took a nation of people with a Christian education and culture and made them behave in unbelievably evil ways. What does this tell you about the value of a Christian education and culture? It doesn't in any way lead to people being good.

[kylben]

Oceanus, All that really says is that people who vest their judgment and moral authority in something external to themselves can be easily led, or good or bad. Religious belief is certainly an example of that, but there are others outside of religion as well. The state, leaders of interest groups, labor unions, fraternal organizations - collectives of any kind - those are all examples as well, and certainly atheists are not automatically immune to any of those.

[kylben]

piousone, interesting questions. From what I've seen, the "zest for life" among atheists pretty much runs the gamut. There's no one "atheist" philosophy of life, and since I think that that is where one's zest for life is rooted, there's no one answer to the question.

As to denying it for believers, I don't see that across the board either, but I think a lot of atheists see a conflict between a preoccupation with the afterlife and the ability to fully enjoy this one.

[piousone]

Sir, I like your approach at the beginning of this video in how you articulate the fact that those who perpetrate attrocities do so in accordance with their own wants and lusts, and such should not be applied to either discipline in the plurality. However, I am curious in your view as to whether atheists are dispassionate individuals. In other words, is there a "zest for life" for atheists? If so, why do atheists seemingly want to deny that same zest for life for persons of faith?

[kylben]

Oops, the comment below was meant for you.

[Eiketsu3000]

Stalin was an atheist. He had scientists who rejected the theory of evolution killed. All scientists were forced to agree with dialectical materialism and all science had to agree with materialist dogma. Lenin tried to apply Ivan Pavlov's condition reflex expiriments to the whole of Russia because he thought of humans as nothing more than aanimals. Stalin, Lenin, Marx and Engels all accepted Darwinism

[kylben]

I think I read somewhere that Stalin ate carrots, too.

[lastswordfighter]

Soviet Russia had a nasty history of executions, deportations, and rights violations done in the name of atheism There were groups that were given authority to arrest people on false charges simply for believing in some sort of god Priests were executed for belieiving in God. People were forced by law stop any religious practices and beliefs. China, Cambodia, North Korea, Cuba, and Albania did the same things in the name atheism. Religion isn't the only one that has a monoply on senselss killing

[ultraliberalatheist]

Liar atheists have never killed anyone!

[supermanlives1973]

con't...

I for one look to science to explain a lot of what the world is about. Science, in all its glory, will be the first to admit that it doesn't have all the answers...I'm fine with that.

The 'gobbling up' I do is the knowledge of what science has proven and has uncovered vast amounts of evidence for...knowledge of truth.

This may be what you said in your video, so my apologies if I have overstepped.

Great video, great site. Keep up the good work. :)

[supermanlives1973]

kylben, great video.

I fully agree that, regardless of what a person is (theist or atheist), a bad apple is a bad apple. What we should really be looking at is making sure something like Hitler doesn't ever happen again.

As for the comments you stated about atheists 'gobbling up' doctrine, I am not completely in agreement (unless I am misunderstanding your point). An atheist, at least in my opinion, looks at the world from a natural perspective, and does not need superstition to explain.

[nogogma]

That's why as an atheist I say, praise nothing. LOL ... I like your style and your concepts. Very good. I find it interesting when the holiday season rolls around and I'm surrounded by fundies during thanksgiving time? Asking what is an atheist thankful for? I usually respond, I'm thankful to my fellow associates, friends and loved ones but not imaginary gods what cannot be coherently defined.

[juggep80]

Yea but atheists didnt commit crimes because they were atheist. Religion motivates to kill, atheism doesnt. Stalin and the catholic Hitler were mentally ill psychos.

[ChristianVoice08]

I beg to differ. When a person lives out their world view by commiting an atrocity, it cannot be relegated to other factors as it was a direct result of their world view. The difference in atheists who commit atrocites and theists who do the same is that an atheist who does so is NOT contradicting their own world view. They are being consistent. However, a Christian denies Christ & their profession of faith by commiting an atrocity and actually contradicts their supposed world view by so doing.

[tripletrules]

Victory goes to kylben.