'Scuse me?

The law passed against holocaust denial was not to hide any truths or to eradicate scrutiny of WOII history. In Germany but also in other countries holocaust denial or revisionism is mostly "practised" in a way that it is aimed at inciting hate and ?propagandizing? nazism.

I do agree that criminalizing holocaust denial does not take away racism or nazism. But my critique is not on the level whether holocaust denial is justified or not, because I do think holocaust denial is wrong making it a law not to do so is imho not very fruitful.

But to oppose those who think that a law like this is detrimental to free thinking is wrong. Scholars in Europe do question the facts involving WOII and are very cautious yet critical of what should be considered true and what not. The Endlösung as proposed at the Wannsee Conferenz has been documented thoroughly and the results of this "policy", namely 'the Holocaust' has been documented as thoroughly as well (nazi adminstration was superb).

There is a difference between a hate-monger who says the historical documentation of the Holocaust is a lie or exegerated and a scholar who doubts the social, cultural and historical status and content of the Holocaust in which it is perceived in society. The fact remains that there was large scale genocide. 

The holocaust is the systematic eradication of people through belief and/or bloodlines and/or beliefs.  Atheists are stronger against such things than any theists as we do not condone violence under the name of any deity no matter the reason.  How many religions do you know can say the same?

We want argument and logic, not bloodshed and violence. 

I agree. If it's legal to say that 2 + 2 = 7, or that "cat" is spelled "K-A-T" or that pouring ice cream into computers makes them work better, it should be legal to say the holocaust never happened. By the way denying the holocaust is an irrational precept on here.

The purpose of the post is to point out that this period of history is treated like a religious event and everyone has to support it like it is holy writ.  If you state that you don't think the holocaut is all it is claimed then you are labelled with a special term for heretics that of "holocaust denier".  No serious holocaust skeptic denies that there were concentration camps and that Jews and others were sent there but they deny that there was a deliberate policy of genocide and that there were gas chambers.  The religious aspect is summed up with statements like this from Abraham Foxman of the ADL:"The holocaust is something different.  It is a singular event.  It is not simply one example of genocide but a near successful attempt on the life of God's chosen children, and thus, on God Himself".  In studying a historical subject it is better to do without such religious megalomania.  A few holocaust absurdities - Elie Wiesel claimed to have seen "geysers of blood"  www.ihr.org/leaflets/wiesel.shtml  "Jewish soap"  www.ihr.org/leaflets/soap.shtml  Items made from "human skin" www.cwporter.com/whenits.htm  Simon Wiesenthal Was A Fraud www.ihr.org/leaflets/wiesenthal.shtml

holocaust denial is outside the scope of the RRS debating. It is completely insane. To reiterate what magilum said, no one should confuse this fucking insanity with free thinking. I lost every single family member save my two direct grandparents in the Holocaust.

btw the Jewish soap thing is true. The SS was waste not want not. They shaved the heads of the gas chamber victims and stuffed matresses with them, plundered their mouths of gold teeth, and...well,  used what lard was left to make soap. 

You're playing into their hands! The theists want to paint those who don't believe in their gods as evil people who are easily misled, and holocaust deniers being atheists, agnostics, etc. only helps them out. You are very, very easily misled by propagandistic anti-semites. You'll notice that most deniers of the Jewish Holocaust are generally anti-semitic (I've yet to hear of one who isn't) and they often accuse Jews of making it up. That is, they believe in, and accuse an entire race of makin up, a vast conspiracy to malign Nazi Germany. This takes a lot of faith. If you wish to cast these people in the same light as those who use their minds freely, without any dogma...think again. Or just think.

That said, I'm not for Holocaust Denial laws. Canada has a good system in place, which is more lax than Germany's but more anti-hate speech than the U.S.' 

The holocaust was a purposeful attempt at genocide. It killed millions. Those who deny it aren't out to 'debate' the issue. They are out to  spread propaganda.

There is no honest debate over the holocaust, just as there is no honest debate over evolution. In both cases, there are simply deniers with agendas.

Perhaps making disagreement illegal goes to far, but the reality is that the deniers are not seekers of truth.