What is Christian Humanism?

So the Holocaust illustrates the evil that ensues when people forget about God.
Oh.
And the Inquisition was what?
And the Christian Identity movement is what?
And the murderers of abortion doctors and homosexuals are what?
Christian faith has been at the root of more than its fair share of evil in the world.
Obviously, most Christians are decent people--but so are most atheists.
Good and evil are not functions of belief vs non-belief in God. They are functions of rationality vs fanaticism.

You guys are skirting idiocy, which isn't salutary for you, or for anyone. Take the unreflective, knee-jerk hate elsewhere. If you're still reading:

First, everyone should read Henry Kamen's book on the Inquisition before he or she utters a word about it. It's a much more complex phenomenon with many fewer deaths than most people assume.

Second, humans -- including Christians -- are often gravely sinful, and the Catholic Church (as well as Lutheran and Calvinist Christians) consider the church to be a mixed body of saints and sinners.

Third, Christian Identity is evil and has nothing to do with Catholicism. At. All. Why even bring it up?

Fourth, more abortionists have probably been killed on Law & Order reruns than real life. That said, every serious pro-life organization and figure condemned George Tiller's murder. And anyway, since you seem to want to keep score, what really is the score here, 50,000,000 to about a dozen, give or take?

Fifth, Christian faith has been the most humanizing influence in history, precisely because Christianity sees human beings -- all human beings, Christian or not -- as made in the image of God, and sees all human beings -- including kings and princes -- as sinful and under the judgment of God (which produces a democratic, leveling impulse). Even though Christians may have sinned here or there, gravely and greatly, we ended gladitorial combat; we ended infanticide; we came up with just war theory, which (insofar as it is possible) mitigated the deleterious effects of warfare; we treated women as more than property and whores.

In all seriousness, do yourselves a favor and read Hart's (unfortunately titled) "Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies"

In short, I don't want to hear a **** thing about Christian violence until one sees what good Christian faith has done in the world. As if Greece and Rome and the other ancient empires were all sweetness and light! I also think people would be wise to think about how many deaths and how much violence the least Christian and supposedly most rational empire in history -- the Soviet Union -- perpetrated. Or consider the extreme violence of the French Revolution, supposedly founded on reason! Reason alone leads to greater violence and dehumanization than Christianity, which values reason highly, ever has.

Sixth, we can't possibly have understandings of "decent", "good" and "evil" apart from some transcendent conception thereof, and that means some sort of god. Reason is not sufficient, but it is necessary. Reason may lead us to that transcendent, however.

In brief, the Pope's fundamentally right, and if you don't think he's right, he's certainly interesting and worth taking seriously. But you'd rather bitch, piss and moan. Grow up a little.

Now, onto this bit about the genocide and the papacy: first, read the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge, issued 1937 by Pius XI. Pius XII is a complex figure; here's an evenhanded Jewish treatment; here's three good defenses of Pius XII from the same Jewish site.

Complaining about the Vatican's perceived lack of action in the holocaust reveals, I think, that the complainer recognizes, deep down, the goodness and importance of the church.

It's also important to remember that the Church (here including certain Protestant bodies) was largely the only institution to stand up to the Nazis. The Universities (those bastions of reason, dontcha know:)) went Nazi early and quick. So too the press, by and large.

Just some thoughts. Now go read.