"Hitler was an atheist" is a comment that's made frequently on this site by theists who, when confronted by the fact that Christianity was responsible for the deaths of millions throughout history, defend themselves by making the argument that atheists killed more. At which point the red herrings (pun intended) of Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot are also brought into the picture.

It's not much of an argument if it were true, even less so, since it's false.

Facts:

1. Hitler was a Christian. 

        He has stated as much repeatedly in his writings and speeches. 
        He was a member in good standing of the Catholic Church. 
        The Catholic Church to this day has never ex-communicated him.

        His Christianity was based on his philosophy of Positive Christianity and the Aryan Jesus.

2. The Holocaust could not have occurred without Christianity. 

        The target of the Holocaust was the Jews. 
        Hitler justified this target mainly in the following ways: 
            Martin Luther's writings on the Jews 
            Marx was Jewish, an atheist, and developed the Communist philosophy. 
            Some Jews were extremely wealthy and therefore, according to Hitler, were the cause of the poor economic climate which plagued Germany at the time.

        The Catholic Churches represented by the Zentrum Party gave Hitler the 2/3 majority he needed in the Reichstag to implement the Enabling Act in 1933. 
        Without this critical vote Hitler could not have ended up with absolute power which is what gave him the power to execute the Holocaust.

Note: The Communists were also Hitlers' targets but he solved this problem by conflating Communism and Judaism and by doing that killed 2 birds with one stone.

3. Hitler could not have led or maintained his leadership of Germany without the electoral support of the German Christian population.

        Hitler's voting base was German Christians.

        They were the one's who elected him into power knowing full well his anti-semitic, anti-communist, and Positive Christianity (Aryan Jesus) views.

        Mein Kampf had been published. Hitler's philosophy was not a secret to those who elected him.

4. Even some of the Churches of the day acknowledge Collective Guilt for their complicity in Hitler's Crimes Against Humanity.

Churches which accepted responsibility and Collective Guilt for their complicity.

Stuttgart Confession of Guilt, 1945, was organized by Reverend Niemoller who opposed Hitler and went to jail because of his opposition.

The EKD Confession of Guilt, 1947

Darmstadt Statement of the Council of Brothers

5. The major exception (amongst others) to point 4 are the Catholic Churches who, instead, are attempting to create a Historical Revisionist version of their role in Nazi Germany.

First they came for the Communists,
  and I didn’t speak up,
    because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
  and I didn’t speak up,
    because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
  and I didn’t speak up,
    because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
  and by that time there was no one
    left to speak up for me.

by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

http://www.ekd.de/bulletin/2000/2908.html

http://www.hoboes.com/html/FireBlade/Politics/niemoller.shtml

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob37.html

http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm

Trance Gemini - August 1, 2008. (KH)