Do you know how many people have been killed over religion?

Question

The Crusades, the Inquisition and the persecution of witches resulted in more than 250,000 people being killed. That's a horrible number, but let's assume it's wrong and multiply it times 4, so a million have been killed.

Mao Zedong, atheist, killed 40 million. Stalin, another atheist, has 20 million to his credit.

Nobody's proud of the Crusades and Inquisition, but where do atheists get off constantly carping on the former tragedies and completely ignoring the murder committed by atheists?

Predictable answer: The atheists didn't kill for atheistic reasons. So what? Do you think it's fine to murder millions, just so long as you don't do it for religious reasons.

Amelie: You're right. The good and the bad need to be put into perspective. Thank you.

Answer 1

For more insght read "Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century" by Jon Glover. Appeals of secularists in regards to the violence of religion should be made with a great deal of humility given the violence perpretrated by the great secularist and atheistic ideologies of the twentieth century. Further, the recent work of historian Michael Burleigh provides the essential context for understanding the reactive nature and radicalization of religion as being created by the conditions imposed on religion during modernity. Religious violence is horrific-- but as an argument against religion, it dissipates when confronted with the reality of humanity itself.

Answer 2

I think we can all agree that communism is a bad idea. A democracy where the people choose to live without religion of their own free will would be the best society the world has ever seen.

Edit: Oh yeah, and just for the record, you forgot to factor in the genocide of Native Americans which was how the Christians got control of this land to begin with. You also forgot to count all other religious wars other than Christianity.

Answer 3

Now lets add up all the of the deaths in the name of religion and you will just shiver and your numbers are wrong the number of people killed in the Crusades alone is estimated to be ~9 million.

Lets see you never mentioned Hitler that lovely little Christian that slaughtered so many people. How about Genghis Khan?

Yes Mao and Stalin killed lots of people. But they did not kill people because they where Atheist they killed because because they where just evil bastards.

No I don't think murder is right but I don't need the fear of some magic cloud guy with a big white beard threating me enternal hellfire to know whats right and wrong.

Answer 4

The mass killing of people by people, for whatever reason, should serve to remind us that we fall far short of the values of either Humanists or those in Religion.

To attack those those who believe in God or those who don't as being a worse cause of murder seems to miss the important point that, if we can't stop it, God can't either.

Answer 5

To be fair, "atheists" didn't kill anyone. The deaths of the non religious people you listed above were a result of "government", not "religion/non religion".

Terminology is everything, otherwise you spread incorrect information.

Answer 6

The most successful and moral societies are those in which people have freely let go of religion. This doesn't happen in an instant and can't be imposed by government.

Canada. Sweden. The Netherlands. Denmark. Etc.

Answer 7

Sometimes the only way to spread a message is by violence.. I'm not proud to write that, but that's how it is. You can't make always make changes to the world nonviolently

Answer 8

You forgot Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Don't you just love the Atheist song and dance, especially about nations getting rid of religions. All that nations listed are still 60% religious and some, like Sweden and Canada, have national Churches. Just because a few punkers and metalers rebel doesn't make it a movement. They'll be back in the fold in another 15 years when they find out going to a Church gets them elected to office or warrantees them a job for life.

As an example, in the Netherlands you are allowed to pull your children from the school system if the school system teaches contrary to your religious beliefs. That's a Dutch law!

The Dutch law doesn't even say you have to replace that school with anything. You're just allowed to pull them out.

The US doesn't even go that far!

Answer 9

What also beats me is that people don't see the good which Christianity has done through the ages. Christians aren't supposed to boast with it, but I think there are times when people need to see the facts.

One day I did a quick search on the net and within a few minutes found this on Christian websites:

1. Last year alone, CBN Partners:
provided medical treatment to over 785,000 people;
drilled clean, fresh water wells and cisterns for over 425,000 thirsty people;
ended the suffering of over 625 children through cleft palate surgery;
provided hundreds of thousands of meals;
paid the school tuition and gave supplies to thousands of young students.

2. Emmanuel Activity Centre (EAC)
COH runs a day activity centre called Emmanuel Activity Centre (EAC), serving people who have:
Down’s syndrome
Intellectual disabilities
Autism spectrum disorder
Cerebral palsy
Multiple disabilities

3. We operate across the spectrum of violent conflict: from displacement to repatriation, from rehabilitation to the re-development of conflict-damaged communities. CORD’s key sectors are education and livelihoods. Our work also addresses cross-cutting issues: child protection, gender violence, trauma, HIV/AIDS, environmental issues and forgiveness and reconciliation.

I can't help feeling it's a very untrue and unrealistic picture of religion when people keep hammering on the mistakes which were made in the past.

Answer 10

all are , and had been in a religious purposed , or , a NETS TRAPPED OF THE RELIGIOUS ?. Had you thinks that's a Communist is a COMMUNIST WITHOUT ANY RELIGIOUS PURPOSED , then , you are at a faulted. RUSSIA , CHINESE or INDONESTSIA could be as = > : RASPUTIN ( as we have had known as the FATHER to all of the so called as THE ASTRAY by the religious peoples , who is , at the actual was of the same category , only that's they haven been notified or realising , cause , by the IGNORANTS TEACHING METHODE OF ADAPTATION DOCTRINES loll ) FOR RUSSIAN , DRAGON SNAKE FOR CHINESE and MONK-KEYS FOR INDONE-IN-INDONESTSIA ???.lolololl.