The differance between-

[Rev. Rye]

Atheism and theism.

Of course, I can see that a few of the figures weren't exactly atheists. Lincoln and Jefferson were Deists, and from what I've heard about Lincoln, he mainly didn't join a church because their creeds were needlessly complicated, and I don't think I can put much of an actual label on Ben Franklin's religious stance. And, for what it's worth, Einstein was a pantheist who saw God in everything.

BUT HITLER WAS AN ATHEIST

Ah but Hitler was a smart man.

Not really. Sure, many of the people he surrounded himself with were smart, but not Hitler. Hitler was only smart when it came to presentation. I'm sure you can find a few books that can go into better detail, but for the time being, look no further than TVTropes' "Villain Ball" article. Just click on "Real Life." A Brief summary of his major mistakes in the War takes up the entire section (my personal favorite being Operation Barbarossa... the whole idea of it.)