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Comment by will_pseudonym | Hacker News Reader

I mean that it is a shared obsession that can intensify our better and worse natures, but the worse outweighs the better.

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In that case, I think I could make a compelling argument that gangster rap is more of a religion than the Amish faith.

FWIW a couple of the absolute worst periods has been under decidedly atheist regimes (Communist Russia etc + French revolution).

Then again I think atheism is a religion too.

Is communist Russia objectively worse than the crusades or the Catholic inquisition or ISIS? Let's just be honest here and say that human being are capable of pretty cruel things, regardless of being spurned by religion or not.

And why is atheism a religion. Isn't its definition a lack of religion?

> Is communist Russia objectively worse than the crusades or the Catholic inquisition or ISIS?

In numbers, yes.

> Isn't its definition a lack of religion?

I thought it was defined by the lack of belief in deities / supernatural powers. I might be wrong.

Even if true, you can't compare the death toll of post industrial WWII and the crusades on numbers alone.

Precisely. A lack of belief.

If you want to argue that, also take a good look at the French Revolution.

> A lack of belief.

In deities and supernatural powers.

In other aspects I find many forum atheists to believe strongly in theories that are way above their heads.

Atheism isn't a religion any more than Gentile is a religion.

The atrocities committed during these periods were not made in the name of atheism, which is the main difference with ISIS or inquisition. Whatever they did, it was not consequence of their atheistic beliefs.

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