I suppose it should be only natural that an apologist who has to defend the historicity of the Book of Mormon would have little regard for facts when trying to make an argument regarding more recent history.“Daniel Pegerson” wrote: DS: "WWII is actually a glaring example of the evil and harm religions and its adherents can do."
Flat nonsense. Germany was a largely post-Christian nation by 1933. Nazism wasn't Christian.
For example, DP states boldly that “Germany was a largely post Christian nation by 1933” in spite of the facts that:
Among Germans:
“Richard J. Evans; The Third Reich at War; Penguin Press; New York 2009, p. 546” wrote:Nazi Germany was an overwhelmingly Christian nation. A census in May 1939, six years into the Nazi era and after the annexation of mostly Catholic Austria and mostly Catholic Czechoslovakia into Germany, indicates that 54% of the population considered itself Protestant, 41% considered itself Catholic, 3.5% self-identified as Gottgläubig (lit. "believing in God"), and 1.5% as "atheist".
Among the Nazi Party members:“ John S. Conway; The Nazi Persecution of the Churches, 1933-1945; Regent College Publishing; p. 232” wrote:Hitler called a truce to the Church conflict with the outbreak of war, wanting to back away from policies which were likely to cause internal friction inside Germany. He decreed at the outset of war that "no further action should be taken against the Evangelical and Catholic Churches for the duration of the war". According to John Conway, "The Nazis had to reckon with the fact that, despite all of Rosenberg's efforts, only 5 percent of the population registered themselves at the 1930 census as no longer connected with Christian Churches."
Assistance from the Churches:“ John S. Conway; The Nazi Persecution of the Churches, 1933-1945; Regent College Publishing; p. 233” wrote: Most of the 3 million Nazi Party members "still paid the Church taxes" and considered themselves Christians.
Rather than being a source of much resistance to Nazism:“ The Nazi Persecution of the Churches, 1933-1945 By John S. Conway p. 234; Regent College Publishing” wrote: The Catholic bishops asked their followers to support the war effort: "We appeal to the faithful to join in ardent prayer that God's providence may lead this war to blessed success for Fatherland and people." Likewise, the Evangelicals proclaimed: "We unite in this hour with our people in intercession for our Fuhrer and Reich, for all the armed forces, and for all who do their duty for the fatherland."
Even in the face of evidence of Nazi atrocities against Catholic priests and lay people in Poland, which were broadcast on Vatican Radio, German Catholic religious leaders continued to express their support for the Nazi war effort. They urged their Catholic followers to "fulfill their duty to the Fuhrer".
Finally, as Christopher Hitchens pointed out, religion was a ready-made source of credulity that Fascism and Communism could latch on to. Rather than abolish religion, these political movements could simply shift the population from one religion to another:Conway wrote that anti-church radical Reinhard Heydrich estimated in a report to Hitler dated October 1939, that the majority of Church people were supporting the war effort – although a few "well known agitators among the pastors needed to be dealt with".
If Mormon apologists get such recent history so wrong, why on earth would anyone trust that their crackpot ideas about Jews in the pre-Columbian Americas 2,600 years ago would be correct?“Maier, Hans (2004). Totalitarianism and Political Religions.” wrote:Several elements of Nazism were quasi-religious in nature. The cult of Hitler as the Führer, the "huge congregations, banners, sacred flames, processions, a style of popular and radical preaching, prayers-and-responses, memorials and funeral marches" have all been described by historians of esotericism such as Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke as "essential props for the cult of race and nation, the mission of Aryan Germany and her victory over her enemies." These different religious aspects of Nazism have led some scholars to consider Nazism, like communism, to be a kind of political religion.