User talk:SouthWriter/sandbox/An atheist's objections/@comment-1375165-20100707004141

That is in no way a double standard, or an attempt to have it both ways, the goal of many of Stalin's (Yes I specifically mean Stalin) massacres were to wipe out religious beliefs, since they undermined his power, and his cult of personality. His goal was against theism (belief in God), it was very much because he "had a beef" with the beliefs.

I knew precisely that about Hitler, and that's why it would be ignorant to use him as an example, he misguidedly thought he was serving God, not trying to repress theism in general. The point is you can't blame the religion or the belief in God for the deaths, as literally any fact or belief could be used to further a cause. Hitler even used the writings of a certain Nietzsche, and misinterpreted them to mean that the Aryans were "superhumans". All of that is beside the point though, I only used the Stalin example to show that by using your argument against Christianity or Islam, you can also apply it to disbelief, or atheism. It was meant to show how that argument is flawed. I apologize for not making that clear enough.

Interesting that you point out the Church's role during the Holocaust. That's another area where many common misconceptions are held. Pius XII made many private attempts to help the Jews, especially in Rome. For instance by trying to get 3,000 visas to get Jews out of Europe, and paying a ransom in gold to protect Roman Jews. Furthermore, he sent discrete letters to monasteries and churches to safeguard Jews near them. Israeli scholars after the war have admitted that the Church and its facilities, all told, saved upwards of 860,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Although that is most likely an exaggeration, the Church undeniably did its part during the war.

I do however chastise Pius XII for his weakness of character though, in that he only made private efforts to help the Jews, never, like you said, publicly denouncing the Nazis for fear that they would destroy Rome. See this page for details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XII#The_Holocaust Check some of the sources if you don't trust Wikipedia though.