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tweakabelle -> RE: Atheists more compassionate than believers, study finds (5/18/2012 9:54:40 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: dcnovice
quote:
The reasons why Pol Pot and other Marxist regimes murdered their citizens had nothing to do with their atheism. Their actions were motivated by their political philosophy (such as it was).
But wasn't atheism a key pillar of that philosophy? Papa Marx, after all, had decried religion as the opiate of the masses, and Lenin declared, "Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism." It sounds to me like he viewed it as a somewhat more central characteristic to his work than Capone's Italian heritage was to his.
Marxist-Leninist regimes went to no small lengths to root out religion, both public and private. Those efforts included direct persecution of many religious folk, such as Richard Wurmbrand and Jozsef Mindszenty--to name two top-of-mind examples.
How exactly atheism played into the ruthlessness that marked Marxist-Leninist regimes requires more study than I can give it right now. Perhaps the loss of the idea that people were created in the divine image or endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights made it easier to view the populace as Stalin did: (a) "Death solves all problems - no man, no problem." or (b) "One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic."
Whatever the fine points of the Marxist-Leninist mindset, it seems hard to escape the grim facts that (a) atheism was a key belief, per Marx and Lenin's own words above and (b) that mindset underlay some of the worst savagery in human history.
If this is the best you can do, best you forget this argument.
The kind of Marxism practiced by these butchers shares with many religions an absolute belief in its own self righteousness. If you're looking for a genuine understanding of why these butchers behaved the way they did, this belief - in one's absolute self-righteousness - makes a far more sensible starting place. Of course, apologists for religion are reluctant to look here - because religions often make the very same claim.
Your 'argument' at best only applies to 'Marxist' butchers. There are many 20th century butchers who weren't Marxists - for example, Hitler, the Belgians in the Congo, the Armenian genocide...... A absolute belief in their own self righteousness is a trait shared by all the major 20th century butchers, and many others from previous centuries (including religiously motivated butchers such as the Inquisition). It describes the evidence in a far more meaningful way, and allows us to to describe a lot more of the available evidence.
So if you wish to continue clinging to your straw, you'll have to tell us why your explanation has more merit than one that covers describes much more of the phenomenon in a far more satisfactory manner.
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