The best online Debate website - DebateIsland.com! The only Online Debate Website with Casual, Persuade Me, Formalish, and Formal Online Debate formats. We’re the Leading Online Debate website. Debate popular topics, Debate news, or Debate anything! Debate online for free! Were Stalin and Maos genocides in the name of atheism or communism?in History

Zombieguy1987

Once again, historical hindsight is showing it's ugly face again.

There are no offical records anywhere to show that Mao Zedong and Joesph Stalin genocided people because of their atheism...

Mao genocided people because of his "Great Leap Forward" policies, and Stalin's Great Purge was because he was paraniod that his generals were going to turn on him.

Meanwhile religion has killed more than these two COMBINED! at 195,035,000!

https://www.quora.com/Atheist-Stalin-and-Mao-killed-100-million-people-How-is-religion-worse-9-11-killed-just-3000-people

AlofRI

Atheism is neither a religion or a political entity. It's what you CALL someone who doesn't believe the Christian "god". The "word" shouldn't blame anyone for anything. You may be described by the word, that doesn't mean you are a part of an organized group, religion, club, etc. You don't "follow" any leader, good OR bad, because you are an atheist. You are a type of individual possibly unrelated to any other individual OF that type.
 Some Atheists are sick and cruel, some religious people of ANY religion can be JUST AS SICK AND CRUEL as history has shown us. ( I guess I shouldn't say ANY religion since I am not familiar with all religions), how 'bout any "Abrahamic" religion and "some" others?? I'm an atheist and I don't condone any of the genocide of those who consider themselves atheists OR Christians OR Muslims OR Jews. Especially if the genocide is done "in the name of" some "god"! Does that make me, an atheist, a "bad guy"?? If there IS a "just god" I'll take my chances over MANY that call themselves "Christians" (or other devout religious persons), I know several I'd rather not spend eternity with! I also know OF some that definitely were NOT "born again" that I would LOVE to …. if there WAS an "eternity for humans".   

Zombieguy1987

@AlofRI ;

Why did you mark the debate as irrelevant?

CYDdharta

The war in Iraq?  The Atlantic Slave Trade?  AIDS deaths in Africa?  US Western Expansion?  Most of the death on your list likewise were not committed in the name of a religion.

Zombieguy1987

CYDdharta said:

The war in Iraq? 

I can agree with the Iraq one.

The Atlantic Slave Trade? 

Christanity supports slavery 

AIDS deaths in Africa?

Don't have enough information about this one

US Western Expansion?  

Manifest Destiny was based on the fact God wanted the U.S to expand to the west coast, even if it meant killing the tribes who owned the land. This is the one i disagree with you in

Most of the death on your list likewise were not committed in the name of a religion.

Name some besides the ones you mentioned

CYDdharta

Zombieguy1987 said:

The war in Iraq? 

I can agree with the Iraq one.

The Atlantic Slave Trade? 

Christanity supports slavery

Um, yeah, and Stalinists and Maoists support atheism.  What's your point?  The slave trade was certainly NOT carried out in the name of a religion.

US Western Expansion?  

Manifest Destiny was based on the fact God wanted the U.S to expand to the west coast, even if it meant killing the tribes who owned the land. This is the one i disagree with you in

Really?!?  Then why wasn't so much as God mentioned as as reason for manifest destiny?

Why, were other reasoning wanting, in favor of now elevating this question of the reception of Texas into the Union, out of the lower region of our past party dissensions, up to its proper level of a high and broad nationality, it surely is to be found, found abundantly, in the manner in which other nations have undertaken to intrude themselves into it, between us and the proper parties to the case, in a spirit of hostile interference against us, for the avowed object of thwarting our policy and hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions. This we have seen done by England, our old rival and enemy; and by France, strangely coupled with her against us, under the influence of the Anglicism strongly tinging the policy of her present prime minister, Guizot. The zealous activity with which this effort to defeat us was pushed by the representatives of those governments, together with the character of intrigue accompanying it, fully constituted that case of foreign interference, which Mr. Clay himself declared should, and would unite us all in maintaining the common cause of our country against foreigner and the foe. We are only astonished that this effect has not been more fully and strongly produced, and that the burst of indignation against this unauthorized, insolent and hostile interference against us, has not been more general even among the party before opposed to Annexation, and has not rallied the national spirit and national pride unanimously upon that policy. We are very sure that if Mr. Clay himself were now to add another letter to his former Texas correspondence, he would express this sentiment, and carry out the idea already strongly stated in one of them, in a manner which would tax all the powers of blushing belonging to some of his party adherents.

https://www.teapartycommunity.com/blog/16045/quot-annexation-quot-manifest-destiny-by-john-o-039-sullivan/

Most of the death on your list likewise were not committed in the name of a religion.

Name some besides the ones you mentioned

The First and Second Sudanese Civil War, Lebanese Civil War, Nigerian Civil War, Rwandan Genocide, Congolese Genocide, Great Peasants' Revolt...

anonymousdebater

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/astagnaro/atheist-myth-no-one-has-ever-killed-in-the-name-of-atheism

1) Atheist French Revolutionaries
2) If you are going to say that Communism or other atheist philosophies do not count, then you could say that about all of these. The Crusades were done to take back a section of land and also plunder Constantinople. Manifest Destiny was due to a desire to expand. Slavery existed way before Christianity existed, and was not caused by Christianity.
3) How many atheist charities do you know that donate money or supplies or something, not ones that solely spread the belief of atheism? Not secular, but atheist. How many Christian charities do you know? Samaritan's Purse and Compassion are two examples.

George_Horse

Though they were atheist, their genocides were carried out under authoritarian communism. Wherever a communist dictatorship arises, there is always a chance for genocides, atheism is not responsible.

MayCaesar

I would say these two are different in this regard. Mao was a devoted ideologue, and he mostly did monstrous things to promote the goals of communism. Stalin, however, appears more as a power hungry individual who simply used the communist narrative to promote his personal goals - but I do not think he cared much for any ideology, he only cared about how it can serve his needs. Stalin is not Lenin, and Lenin detested the perspective of Stalin leading the country - Lenin was an actual communist, and he was afraid of his ideas being appropriated by someone like Joseph. Lenin wanted Trotsky, another devoted communist, to lead the country - which caused Stalin to send an assassin after him much later.

I do not think any dictatorship has ever occurred in the name of atheism. There were dictatorships targeting particular religions, but they usually were, in turn, promoting another religion or ideology. For example, Leninists did slaughter a lot of Christians in the former Russian Empire - but they were promoting communism, another malicious ideology.

Has there ever been a dictator whose central point was promoting atheism, rather than promoting a particular ideology one of the manifestations of which is the demand for atheism? I am not aware of one.

AmericanFurryBoy

In the name of communism

Zombieguy1987

AmericanFurryBoy said:

In the name of communism

Meanwhile, with the religious right

”It was their atheism that resulted in their genocides!!!”