Religion Kills - Crimes Against Humanity by Christianity
Dmitri June 5th, 2007
A brief list of the worst among the crimes against humanity committed by Christian religious fanatics before and after the World War Two. The data is compiled using reference websites, published records and library/museum archives. Note that in a lot of incidents the crimes by these religious zealots (mostly Popes and Cardinals) rival that of known brutal killers like Stalin and Hitler. Yet we are quick to condemn the killings which were done in political interests and do not take much notice or condemn those committed by religious groups. Is it a bias in favour of religion that crimes committed by religious groups get ignored and hush hushed? Today the Christian cross evokes much fear and hatred in the world as much as the Swastika does in Western countries which we living in the west are unable to recognise.
Crimes of Christians after World War 2
Croatia (1942 - 1943) - 300000 to 600000 Jews, including children were burned alive under the rule of Ante Paveli, a practicing Catholic and a fan of the then Pope (who approved and backed most of his atrocities). The burnings of Jews were presided over by Franciscan friars (priests) which were appalling enough to induce bystanders of the Nazi Sicherheitsdienst der SS to complain about them to Hitler (the Nazis gassed their victims to death instead which was quicker and less cruel at least in comparison to the Catholic friars).
South Vietnam (1950 - 1970) - 80000 people were executed, 275000 had been detained or tortured, and about 500000 were sent to concentration or detention camps by fanatic Catholic Ngo Dinh Diem. He was put to power by the United States administration under the influence of Catholic lobbies in Washington, headed by Cardinal Spellman, the Vatican’s spokesman in US. At least 2000000 Vietnamese lost their lives in the following decades of resistance against the US, which wanted to put this corrupt and vicious man to power over the whole of Vietnam using undemocratic means.
Rwanda (1994 ..) - About 1000000 Tutsis and Moderate Hutus were butchered by Roman Catholic priests and nuns. There is almost no church in Rwanda that has not seen refugees - women, children, old - being brutally butchered or burned facing the crucifix. According to eyewitnesses clergymen gave away hiding Tutsis and turned them over to the machetes of the Hutu militia and created conflicts between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. The Pope who kept his mouth tight over the actions all along, condemned them only after two priests were sentenced to death by a court in Rwanda.
Burning of philosophers and scientists during the Inquisition
Christian Crimes Before World War 2
Europe and Central Asia (1098 AD) - When the Crusade I was unleashed, at least 1000000 (mostly Jewish and Muslims) men, women and children were killed in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Palestine, Israel and Arabia by “Armies of Christ” under the command of Pope Urban II of Vatican. At that time the population of the world was about 80 million which makes the Crusade One a much worse crime than the Nazi Holocaust in a comparison of victims vs population.
Europe and Asia (1232 AD) - According to Cathar heresy alone, over 1000000 victims perished in the Inquisition I started by the Catholic church to destroy the remaining and hiding heretics (scientists, atheists and non-Christians) who survived the Crusade I.
Netherlands (1568 AD) - Spanish Inquisition Tribunal ordered extermination of 3 million rebels and apostates of Christianity in Netherlands. They were either drowned or burned alive by the troops led by the Catholic church.
Central Asia and Europe (~1200 - 1500 AD) - The Turkish city of Constantinople was sacked with an unknown number of human victims. In the fall of Akkon in 1291 AD, at least 2 million Muslim and Jew victims perished in the holy lands of Turkey and Israel alone.
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A lot of what is presented is regrettably true but isn’t it harsh on today’s Christians who are mostly peace loving folks and have no connection with the violent past?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Today’s religious fanatics need to be reminded of that.
Fred Phelps comes to mind when you talk of Christian fundamentalists…
@Dmitri
Bag you pardon, Since I am participating in your web page, I realise that you take favor of christians,Jews ,Hindus while on another hand you are more agressive against Islam and its followers, which is clearly visible from two distinct articles…”Religion Kills - Crimes Against Humanity by Islam”, “Religion Kills - Crimes Against Humanity by Christianity” ..May I ask you why?
In this article you mentioned things but you did not produced them in true form, for instance in World War II only Russia lost more than 40 million people (WW II, The Rise and fall of Third Reich,p.25-60)…for more crimes of Christianity follow links below…….
http://www.ftarchives.net/foote/crimes/contents.htm
do true followers of christ murderers?
those so-called christians are not christians in the eye of god.
@Durian
The scary part is they think they are being true christians and that they are fighting for god. I think that killing in the name of any “imaginary friend” is an extremely crazy thing to do… It dsn’t matter what god thinks because these people are affecting thousands of others, not just themselves. In my opinion, these murderers are most likely not going to receive any punishment in the afterlife because there is no after life.
P.S. Im not trying to anger anyone, all i am saying is if you look at it from this perspective than it makes these peoples’ crimes even worse because they are getting off scott-free with absolutly no reprocussions.
we need to rmember one thing, religion is power, when it can not be impose by preaching will be impose by the sword, it does not matter what religion, the end porpose of any conglomeration or group of people is the get strong by adding foloower.
As a Christian let me say this: While it is true that many atrocities have been comitted by groups wearing the garb of Christianity,Their actions were inexcusable. To be a Christian is to have a personal relationship with Christ and be redeemed from the penalty of sin,saved at the terrible price Jesus’s sacrifice for us personally.This kind of faith cannot hold hands with violence or hate.
While it is neccessary to take a stand on moral issues the stance is not one of a holier than thou fanatic.It is a quiet resolve to share the source of life and true happiness.I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.Lately we have been the object of hate and resentment over the Marriage issue in California.The Savior would have us return insults with compassion and ridicule with the meaasge of redemtion .Part of that message is that none of us is beyond saving regardless of our past.Christ is more than willing to make his home within us if we will only come.In the process he understans issues like gender confusion and same sex attraction.Inthe process of time these issues are dealt with and you are cleansed and forgiven.He is always near to lean upon in the hour of need or temptation. This the real message of Christ that he loves us personally in ways we dont understand.John Wesley wrote a hymn Called ”Oh for a thousand tounges to sing!” My favorite Stanza is this one;
Speaking of Christ Wesley writes:
”He breaks the power of cancelled sin! He sets the prisnor free! His blood can make the foulest clean,His blood availed for me”!
I hope that this will be true for you as it was for me .All you have to do is come.He is waiting.
Yours in Christ,Dan.
Response to Katana
“A lot of what is presented is regrettably true but isn’t it harsh on today’s Christians who are mostly peace loving folks and have no connection with the violent past?” Not true at all, as countless evidence show that religious fanatic Christians are largely ignorant and more prone to use religion as an excuse for violence, like the so called War on Terrorism.
Abhramic religions are violent..and I mean it. All of them.
Follow Dharmic religion, Buddists and Jains and most of the Hindus. Very peaceful people.
The article is interesting, but I see no reason why one set of people alone should take the blame. Everyone is very good when they are a minority. First of all, only the people really interested in the faith follow it, and secondly, one is in no position to create trouble. When a faith or philosophy becomes a majority, then every one wants to join it to profit from it and secondly, there is no call to be polite to the others anymore. Please correct me if I am wrong.
As examples of excesses by all communities, I quote the following:
1. Christian history in Europe and the colonies after the time of Constantine I, till the 1800s.
2. Judaism during the Kitos revolt, the sack of Jerusalem by the Persians and the Hebrew kingdom in current day Yemen.
3. Jihad in Islam, and treatment of the “kafirs” from 600 Ad till now.
4. Even though Hinduism is more tolerant (Jewish communitites from around 500 BC, Christian communites from 52 AD and Parsee communities from 700 AD have existed in Hindu lands), atrocities have been commited during the Sangha dynasty (when Buddhists were killed en masse), Pandyan Dynasty in the II Sangham age (when Jainists were killed), 1857 rebellion, and the Partition of India, with incidents (Gujrat, Orrisa) happening even in this day and age.
5. Buddhists in Thailand and Sri Lanka, with the killings even up till 2009. Can one also classify the Japanese as Buddhists? Tibet itself had seen interesting incidents when she was independent.
6. Zorastrian persecution of the Christians till the destruction of the Sassanid empire.
7. Aethists, during the French revolution and the reign of terror.
8. Communists in the Soviet lands, China, Vietnam, Combodia, Ethiopia, Cuba, and the Spanish Civil War.
9. “Pagans” during the Roman empire, the Wendish rebellion etc.
Religion, ALL RELIGION, is a deadly and addictive poison for weak minds. Humanity quite apparently is prone to it’s woeful attractions, and the only thing that we the reasoning can hope for is that humanity never, ever escapes from this solar system to wreak it’s havoc elsewhere in the beautiful Universe. One day even this sun will die, humanity will die long before that. Most probably from being stupid, selfish, and greedy apes that will never learn not to s**t where we must eat or stop killing our brothers and sisters. We can at least thank our non-existent sky daddy for that much of a consolation.
PS: I think Mormon Dan’s church is still miffed at losing their own bid to “redefine” marriage as polygamy. That’s why they couldn’t spend enough to support Prop 8 and stomp gay people in California and elsewhere.