I’d remove the religious implications and say “it’s always those who are most convinced they have a monopoly on Truth who are most dehumanizing to the out-group”
Believe me, I’m all for using religious imagery when it’s appropriate for getting the point across. However, the whole point of OP’s statement is lost if it’s not made clear that religion itself is the primary source of this evil. Otherwise, “It’s always the Devil who tries to convince everyone that he speaks for God,” could just as easily mean “my god is right and yours is the devil.”
It’s always the Devil who tries to convince everyone that he speaks for God.
I’d remove the religious implications and say “it’s always those who are most convinced they have a monopoly on Truth who are most dehumanizing to the out-group”
I like the way I put it. Way easier to put on a bumper sticker.
Yeah but then you don’t get the point of “man in sky and evil guy beneath the ground not real” across
Believe me, I’m all for using religious imagery when it’s appropriate for getting the point across. However, the whole point of OP’s statement is lost if it’s not made clear that religion itself is the primary source of this evil. Otherwise, “It’s always the Devil who tries to convince everyone that he speaks for God,” could just as easily mean “my god is right and yours is the devil.”
Fair point, but using ambiguous religious language to convey the dangers of religion seems a bit open to misinterpretation, imo.