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Now, you point out that "crappy people do crappy things. And sometimes those crappy people are religious, sometimes they're not".
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Yes. I always get back to that when religious folks start talking about how some of the evil folks in history were atheists (Hitler and Stalin are often cited). This is usually in response to my statement that much evil has been done in the name of religion.
They are missing the point, however. If indeed these types of historical figures were atheists (and in Hitler's case, it is uncertain), the fact is that they did not kill in the NAME of atheism. They persecuted religions as well as other groups because these groups were serious threats to what these leaders were really after and that is power and control. They persecuted anyone who got in the way of that.
So what it boils down to, as always, is that some folks are evil. Those that are do evil, only the excuses change.
I would have to say that atheism is not one of the more common excuses for doing evil, however.