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Atheists & Agnostics

In reply to the discussion: Atheism and dictators [View all]

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
2. Yeah it's a bullshit defense employed by religionists who've already lost the argument.
Fri May 5, 2017, 01:21 PM
May 2017

"But but STALIN! MAO! POL POT! OMGWTFBBQLOL!!!" The real stupid ones even try and throw Hitler in with the atheists too.

The difference of course is that religious dictators and murderers find justification for their crimes in their religion. The holy books of various faiths are filled with such behavior, and it's either condoned or commanded by their god. The worst part about religious belief too is that you can't prove someone's religious beliefs wrong. Believers LOVE to wave this around like it justifies religious belief - "You can't prove there ISN'T a god! Nyah nyah nyah!" - but it's the fatal flaw and central problem of religion, and the reason it turns so deadly so often. If you are convinced your god wants you to murder someone, you need to do it. Period.

There is no such motivation or justification to be found in atheism. Contrary to what some pathetic individuals insist (in order to define atheism for their own purposes), it's not a belief system. It's not a religion. It never has been. There is no guidebook, no official teaching, no prophets, no popes, no priests, nothing. It's just the default state of not accepting a particular claim. Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot - none of them killed in the name of atheism or because of their atheism told them to. But this is unpalatable to the typical believer who needs to fit atheism into a box so they don't have to worry about it questioning their beliefs, and so the "StalinMaoPolPot" refrain will continue.

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