(March 16, 2016 at 10:08 am)Alex K Wrote: Even if it is true what you say about these people, what you have demonstrated is that atheists possibly make worse dictators. While that is an interesting fact to keep in mind, I would like to go on record saying that I don't think dictatorships are a good idea.
That being said, you are of course technically wrong - none of these people killed a great number of victims. The killiing was done by others. In the case of e.g. Hitler, the killing was done by people, mostly formerly good Catholics and Protestants, who fell for a quasi-religion involving a personality cult directed at Adolf Hitler and the aryan race / German people. Why did they fall for it? Maybe because religion had made sure that for centuries, the general populace did not learn to, did not dare to question messianic authority figures - theistic religion paved the way by providing an uncritical following where a culture of critical thinking could have averted the catastrophe.
Well yes! Solder can be anyone (Christian, Muslim, atheist, …) whose job is to obey orders of his superiors. If his superior command him to kill every/any Jew, he will do his job. Therefore, the credit of that killing is not on the head of that solder but goes to the commanding officer. Similarly, credit of such killings also goes to the civilians who support their leaders for those killings.
