from what i've read about deists and deism, it's the a belief that a being created the world and all in it, and then left it to take care of itself. so, deists don't pray to a god, they don't think whoever the creator was is involved to take prayers.
as for hitler, et al, they used any and every means at their disposal to get and/or attempt to keep power. religion had a hand in it, whether as a way to identify enemies or to conjure support for their agendas.
when pope urban called a crusade, he was looking for a huge army to do the churches dirty work in trying to keep territories.
i think many go to church as a way to socialize; i think some go because they feel a need. but as for who truly believes, i think if people were completely honest when asked, that the amount of people who actually believe in god would be quite low.
__________________
Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all.
Abraham Lincoln
|