Why Does Christianity Spawn Evil Dictators?

[Diogenes]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors? https://religiondispatches.org/is-putin ... questions/

[MaryHarris80]

Despite Jesus being the most loving and caring human being on the planet, along with the Buddha and numerous other saints, I would say that Christianity produced aggressive and intolerant individuals. The sorts of genocides and absolute extermination of any and all dissident ideas had never been seen in global history prior to Christianity's hegemony in Europe. Since Christianity, no other religion has exterminated and ruthlessly expunged practically every other competitor creed and even competing interpretation of the same dogma. Except that Islam spared Jews and Christians as a viable revenue base, which is why for hundreds of years after Muslim conquests, Jizya tax records revealed that the majority of the population of the Muslim empires was remained primarily non-Muslim.
If it were merely a question of violent individuals embracing Christianity, there would be precedence for other religions in the past having a near-total grasp over the European continent, making it hard to practice any other religion. Throughout most of world history, many religions and practices flourished in the Middle East and Europe, until Islam and Christianity wiped out most of their rivals, with Christianity going one step further and wiping out all opposition, whereas Muslims allowed Christians and Jews to exist in exchange for the Jizya tax.
I understand how Islam became so militaristic because most of the Quran's verses are militaristic, but the New Testament doesn't have a single violent verse to my knowledge, and Jesus never picked up a weapon, so how did Christianity outdo Islam in violence despite Christianity being the more peaceful religion?

[TRANSPONDER]

I feel obliged to disassociate Dictatorship from Religion. They can, at need, wave the religion about as a motivation or self -justification. But I don't see that religion is to blame for a human characteristic. Hitler was a Theist (even if Himmler and his Neo -pagans weren't) and even saw a much - remastered version of Jesus as his model, yet he despised Christianity for what he saw as weakness and rather admired Islam for a comparative strength. He also would not tolerate opposition and preferred Christianity when it played ball - and it didn't, always.

Now as to Stalin, he was educated in the priesthood. But he hated it and them and studied revolutionary politics and showed only one Christian characteristic in his dealings - an adherence to Dogma that nobody was allowed to question (1), or else.

Pol Pot had no time for religion so far as I know and Mao took the view that religion poisoned everything. He ought to know.

The Kim dynasty were initially communist and thus suppressed all religion; but now seem to act as their own religious cult.

Putin was of course originally a KGB man and I doubt that he cares tuppence about the Russian Orthodox religion, but he is able to use it as a cover for suppressing dissent or protest.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case with Dictators in, say, South American countries even if they pay lip service to religion. The same with Gaddaffi and Saddam. And here we get into another aspect of a very real link between political and religious authority.

I don't see the religion itself as being to blame, but it can, just as in another Dogma like Marxism or Naziism or the Emperor -worship of North Korea, be used to support Authority and often very willingly. If any of the religious will not participate in stomping on the face of the populace because of religious scruples, there are plenty to be appointed to religious positions who will.

That at least is my take on this arguments - neither religion nor irreligion is to blame for Dictatorships, wars or genocide, but it can easily be used to facilitate it.

(1) as with religion, there is of course permissible discussion within the Dogma, but generally not questioning of the Dogma.

[nobspeople]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors? https://religiondispatches.org/is-putin ... questions/

Does christianity spawn such people, or do those people get drawn to christianty? Or are these people simply trying to 'hide behind' christianity for support? It's worth noting people do evil things and stay within christianity, though the media tends not to cover them, so they go about mostly unknown except to those which they have direct contact (cults and the like). Likewise, surely there are evil people such as these that come from other religions. So it seems it's more a religious thing than a specifically christian thing.
But, to your specific question, christianity tends to incorporate those that are prone to readily accepting dogma, believing in any bunk their 'leader' throws at them, tend to be of lesser intelligence and are willing to stand behind 'their leader' physically, socially and economically, so they're a profitable target for such leaders IMO.

[bjs1]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors? https://religiondispatches.org/is-putin ... questions/

Hitler was famously anti-Christian. Alan Bullock, in his book Hitler: A Study in Tyranny, wrote, “Hitler had been brought up a Catholic and was impressed by the organization and power of the Church… [but] to its teaching he showed only the sharpest hostility… he detested Christianity’s ethics in particular.”

Hitler was never a practicing Christian as an adult. While he made positive statements about Christianity early in his political career, once in power he became distinctly anti-Christian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious ... ly%20lived.



Stalin was, if anything, even more opposed to Christianity than Hitler was. He actively persecuted Christians. His opposition was not limited to Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church was the largest religious group in Russia at the time so they felt the brunt of his attack, but he opposed all religion. Stalin had a "five year plan" to spread atheism throughout the country. He stripped churches of their land and had religious people arrested or put to death in the name of atheism.

According to Stalin the new “socialist man” was an atheist, free of all religious chains. Throughout the 1930’s Stalin ordered the imprisonment or execution of thousands of religious leaders with the stated goal of eliminated the concept of God from the USSR.

https://www.history.com/news/joseph-sta ... heism-ussr


Every American President has claimed to be a Christian. Of the past three Presidents, Joe Biden has been in the only one to regularly attend church while in office.

[1213]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors?

I don’t say who is really a Christian, but by what the Bible tells, a Christian is a disciple of Jesus, and person is truly disciple of Jesus, if he remains in words of Jesus.

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

And Jesus says this about loving enemies.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Mat. 5:44-45

If one does not do that, how could he be called a Christian?

[Diogenes]

Many fair points well made. Causation is difficult to nail down. I used the word 'spawn' for a reason. The men I listed, and more of their kind, were raised in a Christian culture. I suppose the only definitive thing we can say is that they used that culture while there is no evidence its principles had any deterrent effect on their behavior. I find it hard to believe either Trump or his buddy Putin actually believe in the teachings of Jesus, but that is what they claim... and hundreds of millions who call themselves 'Christian' believe them.

[Purple Knight]

How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors?

It doesn't. But it does make people into passive sheep who will trust such actors.

I don't think anyone you mentioned was really a Christian. People wouldn't do these things if they thought they would burn for them.

Where Christianity has a problem is where all the millions of good Christians who want to be (and are) good people, have been moulded into such extreme pacifists and credulous faithaholics that they can't call people out and they can't question their leadership. This is how you get the people mentioned in this thread and this is how you get your kids raped: You let the world know that you can't do anything to anyone, even defensively. He raped all your kids? Oh, well, I hope he doesn't go to Hell, let's not judge him. Let's turn the other cheek, bless his soul.

These are probably not Christians committing genocide and raping children. And I think that's important.

But where Christianity actually is at fault is that it attracts these people. This is why you have scandal and you need to address it.

[TRANSPONDER]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors? https://religiondispatches.org/is-putin ... questions/

Hitler was famously anti-Christian. Alan Bullock, in his book Hitler: A Study in Tyranny, wrote, “Hitler had been brought up a Catholic and was impressed by the organization and power of the Church… [but] to its teaching he showed only the sharpest hostility… he detested Christianity’s ethics in particular.”

Hitler was never a practicing Christian as an adult. While he made positive statements about Christianity early in his political career, once in power he became distinctly anti-Christian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious ... ly%20lived.



Stalin was, if anything, even more opposed to Christianity than Hitler was. He actively persecuted Christians. His opposition was not limited to Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church was the largest religious group in Russia at the time so they felt the brunt of his attack, but he opposed all religion. Stalin had a "five year plan" to spread atheism throughout the country. He stripped churches of their land and had religious people arrested or put to death in the name of atheism.

According to Stalin the new “socialist man” was an atheist, free of all religious chains. Throughout the 1930’s Stalin ordered the imprisonment or execution of thousands of religious leaders with the stated goal of eliminated the concept of God from the USSR.

https://www.history.com/news/joseph-sta ... heism-ussr


Every American President has claimed to be a Christian. Of the past three Presidents, Joe Biden has been in the only one to regularly attend church while in office.

While I'm in agreement on Stalin, Hitler was not as anti Christian as you suggest. The article you linked says:

"In a speech in the early years of his rule, Hitler declared himself “Not a Catholic, but a German Christian”.[16][17][18][19][20] The German Christians were a Protestant group that supported Nazi Ideology.[21] Hitler and the Nazi party also promoted “nondenominational”[22] Positive Christianity,[23] a movement which rejected most traditional Christian doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus, as well as Jewish elements such as the Old Testament.[24][25] In one widely quoted remark, he described Jesus as an "Aryan fighter" who struggled against "the power and pretensions of the corrupt Pharisees"[26] and Jewish materialism.[27] Hitler demonstrated preference for Protestantism[28] and Lutheranism[29] as he stated "Through me the Evangelical Protestant Church could become the established church, as in England"[30] and “The great reformer”[31] “Luther has the merit of rising against the Pope and the Catholic Church.”[

He declared himself to be on the other hand, hostile to atheism. I have seen this discussed before and those who want to make Hitler an atheist end up in denial, claiming that when he denounced atheism and swore he'd stamp it out, he was lying.

[TRANSPONDER]

Hitler claimed to be Christian. Stalin was a Christian acolyte. Trump, the 'Grab 'em by the _ _ _ _ _ President who is revered by fundamentalists, and now Vladimir Putin engulfs the world in war, misery, and genocide while championing his Christian faith. How does the faith of Jesus of Nazareth spawn such actors?

I don’t say who is really a Christian, but by what the Bible tells, a Christian is a disciple of Jesus, and person is truly disciple of Jesus, if he remains in words of Jesus.

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

And Jesus says this about loving enemies.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Mat. 5:44-45

If one does not do that, how could he be called a Christian?

While I don't altogether disagree with you, it can hardly have escaped notice that there is a propagandist denial element of calling themselves ostentatiously 'democratic' when they aren't, Peaceful when they are oppressive and wave their Bible -pretensions about when they show no signs of the Christian teachings that you post above, but those that would rather have Hitler nodding in approval.