A ubiquitously promulgated well within the box Atheist groupthink talking point de jour is to ask what would have happened if Adolf Hitler had repented?
This question is used as a spring board whereby to condemn YHVH, the Bible and Christianity due to a perceived injustice. The rub comes in the form of the conclusion that according to Christian theology if Adolf Hitler, the Jew hating mass murdering racist maniac, would have repented then today he would be enjoying the glories of heaven whilst innocent Jewish children whom he murdered would be suffering the torments of hell.
Such arguments are very difficult to deal with firstly due to the fact that it is very, very emotive. Rightly so, indeed, yet emotive nevertheless. The issue is that the argument causes one to build an emotional bond with the arguer as the hearer builds an emotional bond with the arguer. Moreover, an emotion is a virtually tangible experience, it is a real and really felt sensation.
Now, to this one attempts to respond logically or theologically and one comes across as cruel and heartless. After all, what is a counter-argument vs. an emotion: the latter is an actual experience whilst the former comes across as a mere abstract concept.
With that food for thought out of the way let us consider debating morality (or, actually, ethics) with atheist 101: since they cannot justify moral condemnations (upon anything beyond personal preferences which they plagiarize from Judeo-Christian ethics), they have nothing upon which to base their condemnations of YHVH, the Bible, Christianity or Adolf Hitler for that matter—see:
What, really, is materialist / atheist / naturalist morality?
Now, keep in mind that the what if Adolf Hitler repented objection is an intellectual exercise. It is a “what if” question which does not (as far as anyone knows) reflect the reality of Adolf Hitler’s life and dead.
Let us therefore, consider the reality of the matter from both the Christian and the Atheist perspective.
Christianity:
According to Christian theology the unrepentant Hitler thought that he escaped the judgment of this world via committing suicide but went on to face ultimate, transcendent, inescapable judgment and will pay for his crimes against YHVH and humanity in the afterlife.
Atheism:
According to Atheism, Hitler got away with it.
On the Atheist view Hitler struggled to survive as the fittest: mein kampf—my struggle.
What Hitler did was evolutionarily beneficial since he rid the gene pool of the less fit.
On Atheism, Adolf Hitler lived a wonderful life (from his own perspective) as he gained and enjoyed his power, he had thousands of faithful adherents, he did as he pleased and when he decided it was over—it was actually over. Metaphorically speaking, Hitler is now enjoying, as it where, a sort of perfect peace of annihilation whereby there is no such thing as Hitler anymore.
Thus, on the Christian view there is ultimate judgment and accountability and on the atheist view there is not. Therefore, since Atheist offers no ultimate justice Atheism itself is unjust.
Granted, two of Atheism’s consoling delusions are the consoling delusion of absolute autonomy and the consoling delusion of lack of ultimate accountability.
On their view evil is for the benefit of the evildoer who gets to enjoy it and, ultimately, gets away with it.
Thus, the fact of evil and suffering in the world is one of the very best reasons for rejecting Atheism.
Lastly, when we consider the reality of the matter the issue of Adolf Hitler has Christianity having him pay for his crimes and Atheism has him enjoying them and getting away with it.
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