Can atheists really rule nations without massive genocide?

Question

It's pretty much a fact that between Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro et.all, are responsible for well over 150 MILLION deaths under their atheist regimes.
That number reflects their stand on 'the value of human life' , cant imagine where they stand on issues like human rights and freedoms?

Answer 1

wow, cause they killed people in the name of atheism right...?

whereas many people have been killed in the name of "god"...

Answer 2

The reason those commies were athiest is because a widespread acceptance of a certain fiath in thoe country can be a great motivator for sacrafice (fighting, rebellion). By eliminating that motivator, it was much easier for those people to keep order. There are a couple exampes listed below where there are secular countries that are doing fine. (sweeden, japan) of course they are very homogenous countries with the ethnicities and culture, but with religeous freedoms. the question is will those countries stand up to a group of motivated people that may want to invade, or naturally over the course of emigration, change the face of the culture and government in a way that they may not agree with?

PS. I read Orwell's 1984 about 20 years ago. I seem to remember that religon was banned in Winston's country, England, or airstrip one, or whatever is was called.

pss. youngmoigle what a young and "tolerant" person you and your agreeers seem to be. lol!

Answer 3

You are confusing an incorrect ideology about the nature of man with Atheism.

Atheism didn't cause Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Castro to commit murder, the idea that mankind is inherently evil did.

If you take a step back and look at all of the times of mass murder and terror in the world, you will find a common theme. The men or countries or religions responsible for the trouble all have a theory that mankind is naturally evil, and that they require that freedom be taken away to benefit the whole.

This is true of Communism, Christianity, Islam, and all movements that have a history of violence war and death.

The USA was created on the theory that mankind, given freedom and protection would flourish. It did, and does in every instance where individual rights are upheld, its not until people in power, who believe in the inherent evil of mankind start calling the shots that humanity suffers greatly.

Think about it.

Answer 4

The issue in those cases was not that those men were atheists.

You will notice that those atheist regimes are all communist regimes. Under communism, the state -and the leader- assumes the status of a god. All orders must be obeyed, the leader can do no wrong, and so on.

When people are just means to the ends of the state, terrible things happen.

I'm an anti-abortion, pacifist, atheist libertarian. Life is our most precious asset, and we only get one shot at it. Since there is no divine hand protecting us, we must take it upon ourselves to ensure the continuation of liberty and humanity.

Sweden has an atheist majority, as does Japan. Many European countries have large secular populations.

America has a large Christian population and we're torturing people all over the world, yet I don't call all Christians torturers.

Answer 5

Those people's actions have nothing to do with atheism. In fact what was wrong with Stalin, Mao, and Castro, at least, had everything to do with the fact that they were far too similar to religious folks. I don't know enough about Pol Pot to include him, but it's very likely.

You're ignoring the fact that atheists value human life FAR more than religious people do. We're also way out in front of religious people with respect to human rights and freedoms. If you look honestly at the behavior and expressed beliefs of atheists you'll find that we don't EVER promote genocide, or Stalinesque treatment of human beings. On the other hand, it's quite easy to find religious justifications of such things*.

Doesn't the fact that you have to be so dishonest to support your beliefs tell you something about the quality of those beliefs?

Answer 6

Yes, actually. Look at all of the secular democracies in the West. They wouldn't have any problem running them, would they. Can religious extremists rule nations without shocking human rights abuses? Saudi Arabia, Sudan, etc? Maybe not.

Answer 7

It is not the Atheist or Christian Government that kills. It is the ONE PARTY system that kills.

When there is no room for healthy debate and freedom of conscious then a state of tyranny exists and as history has shown people will die in very large numbers.

Answer 8

It is entirely disingenuous to call the regimes you cite atheist. They were totalitarian left wing governments that happened to have no state religion or that discouraged religion, but atheism was in no way central to the philosophy by which they governed and was not the ideaology that led to the atrocities you cite.

By contrast Christians racked up 112 million deaths in the Spanish branch of the Inquisition alone (the Inquisition lasted over 5 centuries), and this was inspired directly by their Christianity and was a direct attempt to force conversion. In other words the atrocities happened solely because of Christianity and for no other reason.

Clearly Christians place no value on human life unless those humans happen to agree with them.

Answer 9

These folks were all communists, atheism had nothing to do with genocide. Was the Christian Hitler any better slaughter his own 12,000,000 souls, or were the muslims and christians in former yugosolovia committing genocide any different? The folks in Rwanda were all Christian as they sought to commit genocide on the tutu nation. Why don't we call all these folks for what they are. Folks trying to obtain and hold onto power for their own ends and means, and disposing of any possible threat to that power.

Answer 10

Since there is nothing in atheism that promotes genocide, the answer is of course yes.

Those people did what they did because they tried to force totalitarian regimes on the people. THAT is what should never be done by anyone.

That is why you see great secular countries today that are very peaceful - Canada, Sweden, Denmark, England, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, etc.

Answer 11

Are you seriously generalizing 162.5 million people (do the math) by looking at a handful of bad, power-hungry people? Stereotypes are for the ignorant.

It's funny how conservative Christians call atheists liberal, and then turn around and call us communists at the same time.