(June 25, 2011 at 10:38 am)Tiberius Wrote: I want to disagree here, not with the content of the argument (i.e. I do believe that Hitler was a Christian), but more with the form of the argument itself. There are plenty of examples of people hiding their true beliefs, and labeling themselves as another, in order to gain power, or to escape prosecution.
Salman Rushdie tried it in order to escape the fatwa that had been placed on him after the publication of The Satanic Verses.
And yes, he did eventually admit it was a lie, but the fact that Hitler didn't do this is irrelevant, given his relatively early death.
I admit, it isn't a perfect argument, but Hitler didn't need to hide his true beliefs to gain power or to escape prosecution. He could very well have been lying, but I guess my contention here is that he never admitted to doing so, so I am inclined to assume that he considered himself a Christian.
