Playing the Indian Card

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Christianity and Genocide

A lot of people seem to have convinced themselves of the odd notion that belief in Christianity somehow involves “genocide.” Including, sadly, our own former Governor-General’s vice-regal consort, John Ralston Saul.

Let’s consider, if we may, the great genocides of history.

Or at least, of the 20th century, because it is the golden age of genocide, because it offers us the most reliable figures, and because it suggests what is a current clear and present danger.

Here are the figures of R.J. Rummel, who has specialized in trying to come up with hard figures:
  • Mao: 77 million killed. Atheist government.
  • USSR: 62 million killed. Atheist government.
  • Hitler: 21 million killed. Atheist/neo-paganist government.
  • Pol Pot: 4 million killed, out of a total population of 7 million. According to Guinness, the worst genocide ever on a per capita basis. Atheist government.
  • Imperial Japan: 3-10 million. Shamanist (Shinto) government.
  • Armenian Massacre: 4.3 million, Armenians and others. Partly under a Muslim government, but secularist movement (Young Turks). Mostly under an aggressively secularist government.
  • Polish expulsion of Germans: 2 million. Atheist government.
  • North Korea: 1.6 million. Atheist government.
  • Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh: 1.5 million. Muslim secularist government.
  • Revolutionary Mexico: 1.4 million. Atheist (Marxist) government.
  • Tsarist Russia: 1 million. Christian government.

Is there perhaps a pattern forming here? Let’s see; I count:

  • Atheists: 7
  • Muslims: 2 (both secularist governments)
  • Shamanists: 1
  • Christians: 1


Seems striking to me. It is not as if atheist governments form anything like that proportion of total governments in the 20th century. Indeed, it even seems proper to say that genocide, while otherwise rare, is a defining feature of atheist governments.


For earlier periods, figures are far less certain. A few of the biggest seem to be:

  • Genghiz Khan. 30 million. Atheist/shamanist government.
  • Taiping Rebellion. 12 million. Confucian/Buddhist government. Because this happened only in the mid-nineteenth century, figures are fairly reliable.


The worst massacre in history in which Christianity figured prominently seems to be the Thirty Years war: estimated by R.J. Rummel at 6 million killed.

And note that this is not unambiguously religious in nature either: “Catholic” France fought on the “Protestant” side.


Looking at the record, I think I’d rather try my chances with an overtly Christian government than with any New Agers or atheists. The great advantage of a Christian government is that it allows an objective check on the morality of its actions.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Stephen,

Where on your scale of Religions and Atheism does the United States current genocide of West Papua for its gold and copper lay?

Ref: "Indonesian Human Rights Abuses in West Papua:
Application of the Law of Genocide to the History of Indonesian Control
"
- Yale Law School report 2004
http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/westpapuahrights.pdf

Ref: West Papua Information Kit
http://fandom.net

Are you also suggesting any genocide has ever been committed in the name of God, rather than in the pursuit of money and power while using the local religion as another tool for such averice? The Nazi's wanted to colonize Europe & Africa, the Imperial Japanese wanted Asia and the Pacific; and the US Indonesia Society (Bechtel, Exxon, Freeport McMoRan, etc.) wanted the Islamic military of Java to colonize South East Asia & nortern Australian Pacific for Corporate America.

George Bush is funding the TNI, Laskar Jihad, and the rest of the al-Qaeda network because they are Bechtel's business partners.