Is it true that atheism has killed more people then organized religion?...

[dave4shmups]

A lot of Christians say that atheism, particularly Stalinism, has killed more people then religious conflicts. I wouldn't yet say that I am a full-fledged atheist, but is this true? PLEASE note that this question is not meant to offend anyone on these forums; I'm just looking for the truth on this issue.

Well, I assume you're thinking about Nazis and the communists, so let me point out why it would be wrong to conflate the killings committed in the name of either ideology with atheism.

Nazis- This one is easier, so I'll just say it. The Nazis weren't atheists. Granted, many of the higher-ups in the Nazi Party were adherents to a bizarre form of paganism, and the religion of Hitler himself is up to debate, but it's clear that as soon as they took power, they effectively banned anti-religious movements (surprisingly, even before the Nuremberg Laws), and it's clear that a big part of the public acceptance of such a raving anti-semite is due to the fact that Christianity made it acceptable to hate Jews for many centuries (remember Christians claiming that the Jews were responsible for Christ's death?)

Communism- Of course, all the brutal leaders of the Communist movements were atheists (like Stalin or Chairman Mao), but It would be an oversimplification to claim that their brutality is due to atheism. In essence, when there were persecutions, almost never were they solely against those who follow religion, but religious followers are usually seen as one of a long list of "enemies of the state."

I agree, and, AFIK, Martin Luther's violently anti-semitic comments inspired the Holocaust.