Fact, every single german nazi was a christian

[Mudhammam]

It's as ridiculous to say that Hitler was a Christian as it is to say that Sathya Sai Baba was a physician.

[Aractus]

Christ almighty you are severely misinformed.

But even if Hitler was a Christian at the time of Nazi Germany... and all the Nazis were as well... that doesn't prove anything. There 2,000 or more different denominations of Christianity today. That's right, two thousand. Not two dozen, two thousand. Everyone of them holds different beliefs, some of which are unique to themselves. The Westboro Baptist Church is denounced by a quorum of other Christian churches. So whether they were Christian is no argument over what the teaching of Christianity in today's mainstream churches is, nor does it tell you anything about the beliefs of Christians today. So if you're trying to use this argument to attack Christianity - all it does is make you look desperate for ideas.

Also Deepthunk this is a discussion forum, it's not a place for you to post hit and run topics.

[abaris]

It's as ridiculous to say that Hitler was a Christian as it is to say that Sathya Sai Baba was a physician.

But it's as ridiculous to say he was an atheist. He wasn't. Not by all accounts. He constantly talked about providence and believed in all kinds of woos. Even in his last days in the bunker he took the demise of Roosevelt as a sign that providence was on his side and he could still win the war. At best he was a deist of some sorts. Less so than Heinrich Himmler, who believed to be the reincarnation of the German King Henry I. Hitler openly ridiculed him for that in conversations as well as for his obsession with Germanic archeological sites. He was well aware that the Romans and Greeks were much more advanced than the Germanic tribes. Hitler also openly admired the Catholic church. Not for religious reasons of course but in the same way he admired Stalin. For their ruthlessness and their ability to draw people to their side.

What we have to keep in mind is that we're dealing with multi facetted individuals who took their influences from various books, periodicals and ludicrous figures at the turn of the century. A black and white scheme doesn't cut it and it certainly doesn't do history any justice.

[Mudhammam]

There 2,000 or more different denominations of Christianity today. That's right, two thousand. Not two dozen, two thousand.

Damn right there is more. I don't know how this study defines "denomination" or gathered their data, but according them, it's more like 45,000!
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/d...ission.pdf

[Aractus]

But it's as ridiculous to say he was an atheist.

People didn't use the term atheist in those days anywhere near as much as we do today, and I don't believe Nestor claimed that Hitler was specifically atheist so that's a strawman.

[abaris]

People didn't use the term atheist in those days anywhere near as much as we do today, and I don't believe Nestor claimed that Hitler was specifically atheist so that's a strawman.

Thanks for not reading more than the first line.

And thanks for not getting what I'm saying. In lights of some theists repeatedly claiming Hitler was an atheist.

[Dystopia]

Bold the part of atheism having different definitions over centuries. It's something people don't seem to understand. Atheism in communist Russia wasn't a lack of belief in gods - Things change - We can't evaluate what happened 100 years ago with our current conceptions of ideas and morality.

[abaris]

We can't evaluate what happened 100 years ago with our current conceptions of ideas and morality.

Who's making a moral judgment? Point is, paint a simplistic picture of any given period in time and you end up with simplistic conclusions. Everyone considers themselves an expert on Hitler and the Nazis if they read so much as an article in some magazine. What you're getting from that kind of "knowledge" is something like the OP or the theist claim of Hitler having been an atheist.

Both is bullshit on too many levels to even begin to explain it here.

[Aractus]

Thanks for not reading more than the first line.

And thanks for not getting what I'm saying. In lights of some theists repeatedly claiming Hitler was an atheist.

Well that's because I disagree with "At best he was a ..." as well. We don't know for certain what his beliefs were and historians debate them to this day. Yes he most likely had a belief in the supernatural, but that's not the same as being aligned to a religion. And you've chosen to delineate in a manner different to determining was he religious. Because the question of did he have beliefs in the supernatural is a different one to did he align himself to a religion. We know he didn't and that's the end of the matter as far as that's concerned.

Also, I didn't see any theists try to claim he was an atheist.

[abaris]

Also, I didn't see any theists try to claim he was an atheist.

Then my advice is to browse these boards. A simple search for Hitler should be more than sufficient.