Religion Politics and Evil
Posted on: March 16, 2009 - 2:30am
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Religion Politics and Evil
Just a simple question:
We all know that Hoxha[or insert bad atheist here] was a bad person who transformed Albania [or insert bad action by said person] due to Communism [or insert cause]. Now the question is as follows:
If Hoxha [or any atheist who has done evil] had been, say for example, Christian, with nothing else changed, would you then say what happened in Albania [or insert country or region of said person here] was caused by Christianity or Communism [or insert cause of said action here]?
Try not to answer right away, but think it through and be honest.
Not trying to cause a shit storm, just thinking things through. Hope I was clear enough on the question.
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For example many communist regimes maybe atheistic but do not use that as an excuse for their abuse of power, normally it is the communist ideology they follow. Now if said regimn used christinaity and the bible as their authority to abuse their power of course I am going to call it out, as I see it, however if it they are using the communist ideology then it's what it is.
It's a good and fair question, Pineapple. For myself, I'd try to see if the Shuymplathism (or insert nasty doctrine name here) seemed to logically follow from the tenets of Christianity that the person believed. (I would certainly not fall victim to the No True Scotsman. I'd examine the cultural Christianity surrounding the person, not the "official church dogma."
If not, then it would be wrong to suggest a connection. If so, then the question would at least be up for debate.
To be fair to the atheists, I must reiterate that the question of Atheism ---> Dogma vs. Christianity ---> Dogma is still apples and oranges. As I've demonstrated many times, atheism doesn't logically lead to anything else at all. In order to reach a conclusion from atheism, you absolutely must include another philosophical idea. With Christianity, it is not necessarily so. Christianity is a fully developed set of philosophies, while atheism is simply a blank palette from which to develop philosophies.
I don't know, honestly, why people get their panties in a twist about atheism as the "cause" of this or that, or conversely why they get so upset when someone points out that atheism isn't the cause of this or that. I suppose it's because people don't understand that atheism isn't a philosophy.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
I really don't see why pople say it was because of religion. Do you really think there wouldn't be suicide bombers if it wasn't for Islam? The reason why they are unhappy is still there the same crazy people would still be there, I don't see why religion should take the blame. I blame the crazy people who blow them selves up.
My view is that if it wasn't for religion it would be something else. These 'atheist' regimes stalin etc. prove this to me. Crazy people will always find a reason to kill people. Look all over Africa, besides the lords resistance army I don't think any of the crazies have been doing it because of relgion. Religion is an excuse not a reason. You can't blame an excuse but you can blame a reason. I'm not saying that there has never been an example of Religion being the reason for it happening but even in those there has been some crazy guy leading it all. It just seems silly to blame religion. Even when they do it in the name of there religion is that really the only reason they do it? Religion is just the face not they reason why they do it. Is it my god hates you so i kill you. Or is it I hate you there for my god hates you there for I kill you? I would say the second.
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
If someone [insert negative action here], and they claim to have done so for [insert reason here], then you must either believe that they did what they did for the reason they claimed or you must assume that they lying or mistaken. It doesn’t make much sense to assume that they are lying without a good reason, and if anyone knows why they acted like they did it would probably be them. Therefore unless someone can make a strong case that the person was either lying or self delusional it makes sense to take them at their word.
Based on this reasoning if Hoxha [or any atheist who has done evil] had been Christian, and if reason he gave for his evil acts had been [insert reason here] I would have assumed that [the reason he gave] was the reason he committed those acts unless I was given a strong argument to believe otherwise.
That said just because someone believed [insert belief here] and gave that belief as a reason for [insert action here], doesn’t mean that all people who believe [repeat inserted belief] will commit similar acts, or believe exactly the same things that person does. Still if you have many people who [repeat inserted action], and give [repeat of inserted belief] as their reason it leads one to believe that maybe [repeat of inserted belief] causes at least some people to [repeat inserted action].
No; that would be a bald assertion. Actually, Hitler's a good example to use here (...man, why is Hitler always such a good example?
)
Hitler was a Catholic. I don't think there's anyone who wishes to seriously challenge that notion? What Hitler did during WWII, however - while having much to do with bizarre superstitious pseudoscience - had very little direct connection to Catholocism.
You might note that when myself or, say, Sam Harris lay blame at the feet of the Islamic religion for encouraging martyrs or stoning women, we can point right at Sharia Law and say, "See? It says right here - this is the shit they're supposed to do, because apparently God wants it done that way."
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940