No after reading your full reply, I think that I was spot on.
I'm implying that freeing people from religion doesn't stop them from being merkins to others.
True. About the only thing you got right.
It's also possible (but not certain) that by removing any moral authority higher than man you also take away any moderating influence that might limit the excesses of their behaviour. Like what might have happened to the Communists, for example.
No what happened to the Communists' is they were taking out the opposition. In their ideological doctrine the State is the religion. All the collective thought and energies of the people must be to the State and only the State. Furthermore if this statement of yours were even close to being true, the world would have by now noticed a statistical slant of more atheists committing all manner of crimes versus non-atheists.
To suggest that because I don't have God in my heart I will run out and run amuck is imbecilic. You either have been taught right from wrong and believe it and behave accordingly or you don't.
It comes down to what the individual believes. If someone believes that their god doesn't want them to hurt others then they are less likely to do so.
Not true. Crimes are committed regardless of someone's faith all the time. Many, as in the case of the Catholics for example, will ask for forgiveness afterwards.
If someone believes that their god rewards those who harm a particular out group (e.g non-believers) then they are more likely to do so.
Well obviously. Rewarding anyone for anything will get people's attention and participation all the time. Nothing to do with religion per se.
Likewise, if someone believes that religious people are a threat to peace and prosperity they are more likely to feel justified in persecuting and killing them, as has been the case in state-enforced atheist governments in the Soviet Union and China.
No you will find that the "regular people" of the SU & China weren't tearing down and burning their churches or trashing their icons because they were of the opinion that the church or their religion was going to run amuck or impoverish them.
No that was the party line propaganda that they fed to the lower level party members and of course the dumb f**k soldiers who followed orders and carried out all the atrocities that went on against their own people.
