It is a favourite claim of the creationists that support for the theory of evolution (or emerging secularism) was largely responsible for the Holocaust.

This is a serious allegation & given the propensity of creationists to repeat it, an uninformed observer might be forgiven for believing that it contained some truth. However it is without foundation and the constant repetition of a lie doesn’t make it any truer. See:

Creationists, Hitler and Evolution

It is a common tactic to point to this or that comment made by Hitler as proof of secular or evolutionary influences on his murderous thinking. What such people deceitfully fail to acknowledge are the far more numerous instances of comments in which Hitler clearly reveals his support for the Church. See:

Hitler's Christianity Also:

Hitler based his views on Darwinism

The most significant historical event setting the stage for the Holocaust was the takeover of Germany by the Nazis under the psychopathic leadership of Adolf Hitler. Their brand of ruthless fascism, coupled with the widespread anti-Semitism then prevailing in Germany (There is a long & bloody history of persecution of European Jews by other religious factions. For example, see History of anti-Semitism), proved to be a lethal combination of circumstances.

However, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume that the theory of evolution did play some part in the Holocaust. How does that undermine the theory? Let’s put it another way; explosives & other deadly chemicals created by chemists have been responsible for the deaths of millions. Yet no one ever rails against the theoretical structures of chemistry that aided the development of such materials.

Another example is the development of atomic weaponry that would have been absolutely impossible to conceive of or build without an in depth knowledge of special relativity & quantum mechanics. Again, despite the fact that quantum mechanics has been used to develop weapons so deadly that they could in theory totally wipe out the human race, no one ever uses that as a basis for attacking it. That’s because most people have enough common sense to distinguish between a scientific theory & its use or misuse by individuals or governments.

Obviously then there is something fundamentally wrong in the logic of such arguments & they are in fact examples of the fallacy known as Appeal to consequences.

Creationists persist in making these silly allegations because despite their considerable antipathy towards evolution, there is no way they can honestly counter it with rational argument. They are therefore reduced to dishonest tactics: the use of rhetoric, fallacies, innuendo, misrepresentation, misquoting &, as in this case, just good old fashioned malicious lies. But then when it comes to creationists, what’s new.

See Also:

"Key to understanding Nazism’s popularity with Christians is the Nazi condemnation of everything modern. The Weimar Republic was regarded as a godless, secular, and materialistic, betraying all of Germany’s traditional values and religious beliefs. Christians saw the social fabric of their community unravelling and the Nazis promised to restore order by attacking godlessness, homosexuality, abortion, liberalism, prostitution, pornography, obscenity, etc."

It is sometimes claimed that Adolf Hitler was inspired or motivated by a belief in the theory of evolution.

The facts demonstrate the exact opposite.

And: Bsgroup FURL - Hitler for further details.

Finally: Where Did the Holocaust REALLY Come From?

"It was ferocious Christian anti-Semitism that helped set the psychological stage for the mass murder of Jews in the 20th century. Although I love and cherish the Christians in my life, as a historian I must testify to the facts. I mean the citation of these historical examples as no disrespect to the many wonderful Christians who love and respect Jews and speak up in their defense, nor is it an indictment of the many Christian rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust, especially those in Bulgaria, Denmark, and Hungary. But in order to deal with the past, we must confront it honestly.

Other causes of the Holocaust: fierce German nationalism combined with romanticism (Herder), later stemming in part from the German reaction in the early 19th century to subjugation by Napoleon (Fichte, Hegel); racist ideas such as those spread by Gobineau and H. S. Chamberlain; Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the vicious forgery from Russia which Hitler fiercely believed; anti-Semitic groups in Vienna which influenced the teenage Hitler; the social upheaval in post-World War I Germany and the (false) association of Jews with Germany's defeat; and Hitler's misinterpretation of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, among others.

All huge historical events have deep and complex causes. For the enemies of reason and scientific rationalism to blame Darwin for the Holocaust is both obscene and preposterous. It shows a willful ignorance of history that cannot be countenanced. Evolution is a historical fact. To accuse its discoverers and interpreters of having caused the horrible crimes of the Nazis is grotesque in the deepest sense--and as wrong as anything people have ever believed."