Pope vs. Atheism

Benedict XVI, the pope formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger, has issued an encyclical chastising atheism for leading to the "greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice" in history. He cites the terrible Lenin regime as proof. However, he fails to mention the fact that cruelty and oppression are hallmarks of every totalitarian regime, whether its leaders are atheists, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Muslims, or tribal warlords who worship tree spirits. To claim Lenin's atheism influenced him more than any other dictator's religion is ignorant and dishonest. Of course, the forces of reason may have driven Ratzo up against a wall. According to a recent poll, 43% of Catholics believe in Darwin's theory of evolution and 57% do not believe in the Biblical creation myth.