re: #44 LudwigVanQuixote

Indeed it does see my reply to Walter.

When religion gets misused to cause evil, it is no more than a demagogue feeding off of the fears, frustrations and anger of gullible masses.

In that way, Stalin, Hitler and Mao are no different then crusaders and Jihadis.

However, if you wish to play a who caused more suffering game, it is unfair. It is unfair, because the issue is more about how people follow and become evil, and less to do with faith. Dogmatic communism has a way of crushing truth too.

However, if you think the correlation has to do with faith, I will point out that Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot et al. were atheists, and that the atheists have killed more than the religious.

However, I want to be fair. It is not the fault of religion, the evil done its name - rather religion is one vehicle that whips up angry mobs. In the absence of religion, unscrupulous leader will find other isms to whip up the mobs.

Sure. You mention the atheists, but at the same time, as the character of Frederick (Max von Sydow) from Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters said, “If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up.” I doubt if he would be happy with that famous WWI ditty, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”, either.

I’m a happy Deist, so I have no dog in the Faith debate. It is immaterial to me. What is, is.