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Sun 8 Jun, 2014 12:50 am
Context:
if we accept that Hitler and Stalin shared atheism in common, they
both also had moustaches, as does Saddam Hussein. So what? The
interesting question is not whether evil (or good) individual human
beings were religious or were atheists. We are not in the business of
counting evil heads and compiling two rival roll calls of iniquity.
The fact that Nazi belt buckles were inscribed with 'Gott mit uns'
doesn't prove anything, at least not without a lot more discussion.
What matters is not whether Hitler and Stalin were atheists, but
whether atheism systematically influences people to do bad things.
There is not the smallest evidence that it does.
@oristarA,
Roll call brings to mind a roster. Two evil rosters headed by two evil men, each with their own 'god'.
@neologist,
Hitler was regarded by some as Catholic
@neologist,
neologist wrote:
Roll call brings to mind a roster. Two evil rosters headed by two evil men, each with their own 'god'.
"Two rival roll calls of iniquity" does not mean, "two evil rosters headed by two evil men, each with their own 'god'."
@InfraBlue,
Saying only what it called to mind. Two groups of men/women
Both neologist and InfraBlue sound reasonable.
I don't know to whom I should give the ribbon.
@McTag, Contrex, Joe Nation...
@neologist,
Where in that sentence does it even talk about "two groups of men/women" and "each with their own god"?
@InfraBlue,
InfraBlue wrote:Where in that sentence does it even talk about "two groups of men/women" and "each with their own god"?
It doesn't, of course. But when you think of a roll call, do you not think of people? And, since the OP referenced "atheism", I chose to label it 'god'. For, to many, patriotism is their god.
That is the image
I conjured up from the expression.
@neologist,
neologist wrote:
InfraBlue wrote:Where in that sentence does it even talk about "two groups of men/women" and "each with their own god"?
It doesn't, of course. But when you think of a roll call, do you not think of people? And, since the OP referenced "atheism", I chose to label it 'god'. For, to many, patriotism is their god.
That is the image
I conjured up from the expression.
"Roll call" here is used, not to list people, but to list evil deeds. Whatever the term conjured up for you is not what the term means.
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