Ideology

“Ideology—that is what gives evildoing its long-sought justification
and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination.
That is the social theory which helps to make his acts
seem good instead of bad in his own and others’ eyes, so that he
won’t hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and
honors. That was how the agents of the Inquisition fortified their
wills: by invoking Christianity; the conquerors of foreign lands,
by extolling the grandeur of their Motherland; the colonizers, by
civilization; the Nazis, by race; and the Jacobins (early and late)
, by equality, brotherhood, and the happiness of future generations.
Thanks to ideology, the twentieth century was fated to experience
evildoing on a scale calculated in the millions. This cannot
be denied, nor passed over, nor suppressed. How, then, do we
dare insist that evildoers do not exist? And who was it that destroyed
these millions? Without evildoers there would have been
no Archipelago.”

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from pg 174 of Gulag Archipelago–

This brings to light many arguments most people have against organized religious practices.  They often site the darkest times failing to remember that we all are fallen.  Therefore we have the knowledge of good and evil within us.  Many great evils have been done in the name of religion, race, creed, and ethnicity.  Some of the greatest are when faith in a higher power are cast aside for the the belief that humans can be good in nature.  Our oldest recorded documents prove just the opposite.  There has been great injustices done across the ages from people who desired to make themselves as gods.

“Power is a poison well known for thousands of years. If only
no one were ever to acquire material power over others! But to
the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion
over all of us, and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations,
power is not necessarily fatal. For those, however, who are
unaware of any higher sphere, it is a deadly poison. For them
there is no antidote.”

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from pg 147 of Gulag Archipelago–

I do not necessarily agree with the finish of this statement I believe there is an antidote for it but if never administered, surely the demised of many innocent people will surely follow in the wake of this self deceived world view.  History has taught us through the teachings of Karl Marx, some of his students Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mussolini, Fidel Castro, and a twist of his teachings in Adolf Hitler.  If the lessons from the past are not studied and learned from we will be doomed to repeat them.

Feel Free to comment I will accept any valid discussion.