OFFTOPIC: Religion (was Re: [LINK] electromagnetic fields effect brain activity)

[Karl Auer]

On Tue, 2007-01-09 at 09:11 +0100, Kim Holburn wrote:
> Just to be really OT there was an article about Dawkin's book in  
> NewScientist a couple of months back.  He was saying that religion  
> has been responsible for more killings than any other cause.  The  
> writer of the article pointed out that the four or so "regimes" of  
> the twentieth century that have been responsible for the most and the  
> most systemic and state orchestrated killings have all been secular  
> states: Germany under Hitler, Cambodia under Pol Pot, Russia under  
> Stalin and China under Mao.  Perhaps religion has an ameliorating  
> effect on human violence.

Hitler was at least nominally Christian and legendarily antisemitic -
hardly a secular attitude. Not to mention "Gott mit uns!". Stalin and
Mao both targeted religions explicitly and violently. All three
certainly used religious hatred to their own ends. Hitler and Mao
directed religious behaviour towards themselves, with a great deal of
success. Pol Pot I don't know enough about.

The idea that religion has an ameliorating effect on human violence is
absolutely laughable. One glance at the middle east, one second's
consideration of the Inquisition, Yugoslavia, Ireland, the Crusades,
apartheid, Texas or even our very own refugee prisons should dispel any
lingering doubts.

The odd placid Tibetan monk or eccentric English vicar do not make up
for the megalitres of blood spilled in the name of God.

Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)