How are you going to throw " National Socialism's paganism" into the mix with Atheists? Weren't Facists/Nazis and Communits enemies? Didn't the Catholics lend support toe the National Socialists? Quit reaching.
{sigh}. There is a long history of National Socialist antagonism toward the Catholics, beginning with the assault on Catholic schools and ending with guys like Max Kolbe getting killed. I grabbed pagans because they tend to get pretty good treatment here vis-a-vis the idea of Catholic violence in a way similar to the atheists.
None of the Atheist you have met are supporting the ideas of a Central State Communism.
None of the Catholics you have met support burning heretics at the stake, but that doesn't seem to cut us much of a break, does it?
If you include Pol Pot who was just was anti-science as he was anti-religion, then I can include any religious group that has ever appeared.
Not so much, and you know it. The Khmer Rouge were against religion -- atheists. Catholics are not against science. Did you say something about reaching?
NC, perhaps I have misundrstood you. You did say some, " have simply come to a different conclusion than you have when looking at your churche's long and bloody history." That position would seem to suggest that the crude "body count" exercise has some bearing on the matter. Now, you say it doesn't matter. So, help a brother out: does it matter or not?
As for whether atheists need to "own" Stalin or the Gang of Four, it seems quite the dodge to claim no organizational affiliation. These guys were atheists, living an authentic atheist life in accord with good atheist principles. It is those principles you endorse, so how to you get to skip out?