bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA (06/15/84)
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As to the (original?) claim that more people have been killed (by other
people) in the name of religion, disputed by the claim that more
have been killed (by other people), in what one might call
non-religious wars, or because of internal genocide, I'd also claim
that fewer have been killed in religious wars. I'd guess that the
30 years was (1618-1648) was the bloodiest European (world?)
religious war, killing off several millions in Germany, mostly
because of external (e.g., the Austrian Empire's) armies.
Anyone know numbers for, say, the Crusades?
One interesting aspect about the figures given for the communist
regimes is that most of those people were natives, citizens killed
by their own government. The only other government who has come
close to these atrocities is Nazi Germany (at least, in modern
times). Note that, if you use the criterion of "purposeful killing of
one's own citizens (not counting civil wars)" as a method of judging
countries, the US comes out fairly well.
Sam Hall
ucbvax!ucbtopaz!bitmap