Correct, LEJ. (except for Hitler...he and the Third Reich were not "truly irreligious" by any means...the Nazis were constantly invoking God in various blatantly obvious ways...such as their soldier's military belt buckles which read "Gott Mitt Uns"..."God is With Us")

But thank you. You have joined me in my eternal argumentative position that all people are truly religious in one sense or another...but their religion does not necessarily have to connect at all with a God, gods, an afterlife or churches. It may, in fact, be fashioned around beliefs in anything whatsover, such as:

Racial superiority
Money
Art
Success
Fame
Beauty
Popularity
Sex
Gold
Jade
Fire
the Sun
the weather
themselves (the cult of the "leader")
an ideology
a philosophy
a style of dress
an economic theory
a technology
a scientific theory
a book (of any kind)
a relic
an idol
a habit


You name it. Now, if their chosen set of beliefs are handled in a rational and healthy way, it should produce some good results. If not, it can produce some bad results. In most cases, it's a mixture of the two.

You can have irrational beliefs about anything and back them up with plenty of facts...you just emphasize the facts which appear to support your irrational belief and de-emphasize or totally ignore those which don't.

Any negative system, religious or otherwise, may "deny or twist reason and scientific fact in an effort to support a delusional philosophy". A belief in God is not required for that to happen.

And virtually any atrocity can be committed merely to secure a profit. Note that snuff films have been made for just that purpose. Child porno is made for that purpose. Gladiatorial combats and throwing Christians (and other people) to the lions was highly profitable too. It sold tickets.

People who have a gut hatred of all organized religion (usually because of bad childhood experiences or strong parental influence of some kind, pro or con) can only see the bad that religion does...and are blind to the good that it does for many people. In so viewing religion as monolithic and "bad", they are as blind as the fundamentalist who views all people outside his own faith as inevitably bound for hell. In both cases, it's tunnel vision...extreme chauvinism hiding behind a mask of righteousness.