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>>>>Why is it so important for some to cast Hitler as a Christian when he clearly was not?

>>Because creationists cast him as an atheist motivated by evolution, which he is not

So you're supplanting one untruth with another?

>> I agree with you that I would not consider him a Christian, but he considered himself a Christian in all his writings, and he believed he was doing God's work.

He had plans to, if necessary, destroy the Vatican and install a puppet anti-Pope in what he would call "The Holy Roman Empire," so as to claim the support of the Pope. If he had done that, would you say he was Catholic? He lied, relying on the ignorance of the people. Most people in the world distrust atheism, so those atheists who wish to impose their beliefs on the world do so by lying. Then other atheists, when confronted with the evil done by the world-domination atheists can say, "he wasn't an atheist" without reflecting on how to prevent atheism from leading to megalomaniacs.

When we judge whether someone believed in God or not, we have to look to their own private writings. In this regard, William F. Buckley, who has made himself an ally of Christianity, is, as I understand it, an agnostic. I'm a little wary of Pascal's wager, even. So not all privately agnostic people are evil, or are even deceitful. But since most of the world trusts a religionist over an atheist, one does have to verify that one who claims a religion, and seeks public power, really is religious.

But since most of the world trusts a religionist over an atheist...

People trust charismatic people regardless of reason or ideology. It's true that hundreds of people killed their children on the word of Jim Jones, so I suppose you are correct as far as that goes.

If Hitler and Stalin opposed religion it was because it threatened their political power. For nearly fifteen hundred years the kings of Europe embraced religion because it reinforced their power. When the church opposed Henry VIII he killed the chruchmen and started a religion more to his liking. Established religion in the west has always been about power. The "atheist" leaders of the twentieth century came to power in part because they opposed the powerful of the time. The only "ideas" that had any traction during these times were "let's kill the rich ad take their money." Everything else was just marketing.