In this article, Dinesh D'souza comments about how historically religion has been unfairly blamed for being responsible for countless deaths over the years, while dictators have killed many more in attempt to soley gain power. He believes that religion offers a set of morals that denounce the killing of innocent people while atheism doesn't. He believes that dictators such as Hitler was successful in murdering millions without having religion attached to it. Yes, a majority of people he killed were Jewish but he did not do it just because they were Jewish. This was a fight for power.
Same for the current problem of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is not rooted in religious beliefs but a dispute over self-determination and land.
D'souza believes that religion teaches morality that atheistic people do not understand. He thinks, "Atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history."
I don't fully agree with this because, religion is not the only way to learn important lessons in humility. Living in a world shapes who we are and I don't think that atheism is the cause for all the harm in society.
Dinesh D'Souza. "Atheism Harms Society." Opposing Viewpoints: Atheism. Ed. Beth Rosenthal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010
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