History is filled with atrocious actions that were justified by selective and distorted interpretations of religious scripture. Two examples would be slavery and colonization. Even Nazism could be viewed as a distorted or weird religion. Currently we have ISIS which justifies its terrorism and genocide with a twisted and distorted interpretation of Islam. I can't imagine that Mohammed would have been a terrorist. I understand that ISIS is definitely not supported by traditional Muslims. ISIS is based on a perversion of Islam. Therefore, each member of ISIS is a religious pervert and should always be referred to as a religious pervert. Maybe young people will not be so eager to join ISIS if they are going to be perverts.
While this is a justifiable claim, your correlation between the Nazi's and religion is inaccurate. Nazism is a political ideology which has no theological ties with any religion or supreme being of an an unnatural origin, such as a God or Spirits. While Nazism DISCRIMINATED certain religious groups, this was simply the idea that they were inferior to the perfect German or the Aryan. Therefore, Nazism is a political viewpoint/ideology/group, not a twisted interpretation of a religion.
Slavery was not based on a twisted interpretation of the Bible. Slavery was based on the economic idea that humans were more versatile than any animal to get work done. Once the Industrial Revolution got underway, this idea became mistaken. At that point, slavery became a positive evil. Slavery was evil because it harmed society as a whole. Every idea we hold to be morally wrong is wrong because it harms society. Either it does so directly: slavery, counterfeiting, genocide, etc.; or it does so indirectly by harming the trust between individuals: murder, theft, assault, etc.
I agree that Nazism is/was not a religion, but I think that you might agree that the "Aryan race" was an illogical, unsubstantiated belief that was the source or justification for incredible violence and atrocities. Anyway, I hope that you agree that ISIS justifies its violence and atrocities on a perverted interpretation of Islam and not on the actual life or words of Mohammed.
Interesting point. However, in 1862 farming was still a very labor intensive business. There were no tractors or other agricultural machines, and Southern plantations were not about to replace the slaves with a more efficient system. Other countries and other states had outlawed slavery and the arguments over abolition had gone on for decades, and I doubt that the arguments were based on economic factors. If there is no perverted belief involved, why were slaves a different race, religion or ethnic group, and how can slaves have no rights and be treated and sold as animals? Anyway, I don't want to get side-tracked and avoid the purpose of my post. Does ISIS justify its violence and atrocities with a perverted interpretation of Islam? I really don't think that Mohammed would be leading these people. So, I will stay with religious perverts.
OldGuy?wise, Imnotreallyhere, et al, No, the NAZI/NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party / Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) was an era defined, politically party that preyed upon the difference between the those that "have" and those that "have not" (the people who are very wealthy and the people who are very poor) --- most often are anti-government taxation, anti-big business, and spout anti-capitalist rhetoric. The "Master Race" (promotion of the "Aryan Race") was a central means of focusing citizen anger and discontent against the wealthier (minority) Jewish constituents; while instilling a false pride in the superiority of the Germans. The superiority of the German was based on the Nordic connection with that of the mythical culture of Atlantis. There was an undercurrent, within the hierarchy of the Party, that used the confiscated wealth of the condemned Jewish People to enhance their own portfolios. This was not so very different from the Expulsion Orders used by the Pope and Royalty of Europe from the 1400's onward. (Again operating under the color of law; backed by a corrupt religious leadership.) (COMMENT) While the origins of the politics in the NAZI/NSDAP are closely associated with the belief in the Master Aryan Race, false Anthropology (social and cultural) which describes the German superior to all other cultures, was the spark that formed racism. The NAZI/NSDAP just takes advantage (adopted the idea) of the Pseudoscience behind the study of the Master Aryan Race; which was not so dissimilar to the postulation by the (founding) President of Stanford University, David Starr Jordan, promoting the notion of "race and blood" in his 1902 book "Blood of a Nation." The idea of Eugenics (proposd by Sir Francis Galton) (the pseudoscience) was determined to eliminate those within the species determine to have hereditary characteristics considered "unfit" or detrimental to the future of humanity. It should be noted that, well before the NAZI/NSDAP adopted the concept, the Pseudoscience of Eugenics was once supported by former Presidents Theodore Rosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court Oliver Wendell Holmes, AND the Defense Attorney Clarence Darrow. Many of the prevention techniques proposed under various iterations of Eugenics were to be considered Crimes Against Humanity in later years. Most Respectfully, R
