As someone who accepts the reality that there is almost certainly not a god, and likewise accepts as basically fact, the exceeding well-supported scientific Theory of evolution by natural selection, largely as described by Darwin, I find it pretty unpleasant to be likened to fascist mass-murderers, as people like Josef Ratzinger are wont to do.

Of course, this contention – that the Nazis were atheists, and that “Darwinism”* had some role in the justification of the Holocaust – is rather widely accepted. Interestingly, it’s completely false.

Coel Hellier has written a very thorough, clear, logical, and fair examination of this, and has demonstrated most clearly that in fact the Nazi ideology was at base religious and creationist. This is a longish read, but so very worthwhile. It shows very clearly just how atheist the Nazis and their ideology were not, and just how based in the Theory of evolution by natural selection they were not.

That of course won’t stop various religious and creationist types from dragging out this deceased ex-horse and flogging it some more.

“This labelling of the Nazis as “atheist” is common among the religious, despite being — as shown above — the opposite of the truth.”

The “opposite of the truth”…

…that would be…

Oh yes: a lie.

Now, before anyone calls Godwin on me here (although someone on Twitter has done so already), let me make the point that Ratty and others like him are the ones who’ve “Godwinned” this argument. This is merely a refutation, and any refutation of the claim that the Nazis were atheist and “Darwinist” necessarily involves demonstration of the opposite: that they were in fact Christians and creationists. There is no way to avoid mentioning the Nazis when refuting a claim involving the Nazis.

Duh. It doesn’t equate to saying that Christians are evil Nazi sympathisers; it’s people like Ratzinger (I honestly forget his popey name) who have actually engaged in slander using the Nazi spectre against those of us who do not believe as he does.

In summary: people who contend that atheism, or acceptance of scientific fact (evolution and natural selection) are a prelude or encouragement to callousness, hatred, and mass murder, are (to appropriate a Tim Minchin phrase) “just fucking silly” – or egregious liars.

I make no comment about the camp into which I think Ratzinger falls….

*By the by, I find it incredible that we use the terms “Darwinist” and “Darwinism” – as though accepting one of the world’s best-supported scientific Theories as being pretty much demonstrable and demonstrated fact, constitutes an “-ism”….