Are Freethinkers Anti-Religious?

Author:  Matt White

A concern was brought to me recently baring the idea that the Owensboro Freethinkers could possibly be anti-religious and this, in turn, could be a turn-off to those desiring to join the group.  This is a personal essay by me and it reflects my opinion on the group’s ideology towards religion in general.  My views reflect what I see freethinking as when it comes to a mode of thought, and there will be some members who agree with me, and others who do not.  As freethinkers representing a diversity of views, it shouldn't be any other way.

First, an observation on our home turf: in my opinion, Owensboro seems to face a lack of ideological diversity, and the introduction of new ideas and the ridicule of old ones is not well-tolerated within the community.  While growing up here, I remember being taught a fairly narrow set of views that were popularly promoted by the majority, with few dissenting voices in the wings shunned and shut down by the majority.  Many of those voices we hear on the scene tend to lean towards conservative ideology, much of which has a religious over-tone to it.  “God bless America!”  “One Nation Under God!”  “I’ll pray for you”; how many advertisements to we hear of gatherings, events, socials, etc. all financed or sponsored by churches in our city?  Is there anything wrong with this?  Of course not.  I encourage people to use their voices to the best of their ability to back whatever ideology seems best to them.  Furthermore, I encourage people to rationally test that ideology, and I founded this group as an open forum for people to bring their ideas, no matter what they are, to be discussed and debated.  All opinions are open -- even the unpopular ones.

The Owensboro Freethinker’s, though, is a group based on a certain ideology of its own.  That ideology promotes open discussion, open criticism, and open ridicule.  Free speech is all-encompassing.  It is that which allows us to root for our candidate and curse the opposition’s nominee while still retaining our lives.  It is that which allows us to create interest groups to promote agendas, but limits the other group from committing violent reprisals.  It is that which allows us to safely appreciate and create satire and humor directed at the absurd.

So, what does this have to do with religion?  Well, in matters of faith – everything.  I’ve proposed a personal litmus test to determine whether or not we come off as anti-religious in nature, and this litmus test can extend to any ideology promoted in the group by the majority.  There are three simple questions one should ask one’s self if pondering such an issue:

“Does my belief encourage rational discussion and disagreement?”
“Does my belief tolerate and encourage either passive or active criticism from others?”
“Is my belief founded on solid evidence to support its claims?”

If you have answered 'no' to these, then our group, because of the leanings of many of the members, will probably seem anti-religious to you.  Here’s why:  those beliefs are incompatible with freethinking principles in general.

I believe the Owensboro Freethinkers will welcome all people, but all people will not feel welcome in the Owensboro Freethinkers.  That is natural.  Some will leave because we are deemed offensive due to some of us treating contemptible ideas with just that -- contempt.  Everyone in the group has a different ideological passion.  Mine is standing against superstition.  We have others who are aggressive in the realm of science, civil rights, and politics, just to name a few.  I view religious superstition as a hindrance to freethinking and, coupled with the fact that it's a large part of our social culture that has pervaded numerous different venues that influence our society, it is the focus of much of what I write about. As a student of history and politics, religion catches my fancy and I love discussing it, debating about it, and most of all, criticizing it.  That's my prerogative as a freethinker.

I welcome members to submit articles if they disagree with me and I HIGHLY encourage the public to comment if they agree or disagree with us; that’s what we are here for.  As a side note, speaking on behalf of the Freethinkers themselves, we ask that members or prospective members who enjoy writing, ranting, or raving to submit articles on different subjects – we don’t focus on religion alone, but religion is a focus and it’s mine in particular.  (We are hoping to have some excellent LBGT-focused entries coming soon from one of our other writers – keep an eye out!)  Religion is a big issue in Owensboro – I foresee it becoming an on-going topic in the group because we intend to establish dialogue, and our group acts as a counter-balance, in ways, to religious thought.  We will criticize, we may even satirize.  We have the freedom to do so, as unpopular as it is.  That's a big chunk of what we represent -- freedom.

As for those who may desire to join Owensboro Freethinkers, we welcome you to do so.  Our community, though, is mostly made up of people who are atheists, agnostics, skeptics, critics, pro-science, anti-superstition, believe in the separation of church and state, and pro-civil rights.  I did not form this group to be an Atheist group…but Atheism is a by-product of free thought.  Freethinking usually tends to lead to a rejection of dogmatic thought, bigoted thinking and policies, faith-based ideas with no basis in reality, and anti-scientific views because many of us embrace the opposing views rooted in evidence.  This doesn’t represent all of us, but it does represent what freethinking tends to lean towards, and some of us in the group do embrace those ideologies passionately.  There also tends to be a liberal slant because liberal ideas are usually progressive ones, and we seek progress in society.  Much of that progress is brought forth by exposing the absurdities in some beliefs and some of us do feel that faith-based belief is absurd, hence fair game for discussion and ridicule.  Religion, to some of us, falls into that category.  Will that turn some people away?  Sure.  As a freethinker, my very existence – standing and saying “this is wrong, this is absurd, or this isn’t right” will bring conflict, especially if the subjects are touchy.  I welcome it, as there is no good discussion without conflicting views.

So, to the original question, are freethinkers anti-religious or anti-religion?  The group itself is founded on freethinking ideas which are not very compatible with religious ideology, and in some issues where the opposing side is backed by religious belief (abstinence-only education as an off-example), some of us will aggressively call that belief into question.  However, I cannot speak for the group, but I can speak as a member of the group and I can give my opinion on our philosophy.  If I call myself a freethinker, I must by default call myself anti-religious due to matters of principle.  If religion requires faith, establishes a dogma that cannot be questioned, discourages criticism and rational discussion, and cannot offer concrete evidence for their claims…then yes, I, as a freethinker am anti-religious due to the incompatibility of dogma with freethinking values.  Most freethinkers will be accused of being anti-religious because we operate on a fundamentally different path than those who rely on faith.  We will (and I in particular) will discuss religion and how it pertains to our community because Owensboro has a large community of believers and it's a topic I find ripe with potential commentaries.  It doesn't mean I (or we) hate believers, or are not friendly to people who practice a belief.  We respect the people and welcome anyone -- beliefs are different.  Many of us draw that line between faith and critical thought and ask those with faith to "prove it".  Ideological conflict is inevitable and some people will feel offended; I respect your right to practice what you believe and to say what you want; however is no such thing as the “right to protected beliefs”.

Anything is fair game to discussion and ridicule – exempting a topic from such takes the “free” out of freethinking.

The Ten Commandments of Freethinking

The Owensboro Freethinkers was a group originally formed to bring together like-minded folks who agree on a certain subset of values, and in order to alleviate any confusion on what those values may be, we have a list of ten statements that mostly represents us as a group, and hopefully it will offer the general public an idea of where we’re coming from, and what we represent.

It worked for the Christians and the Jews – don’t see why it can’t work for us as well:

1. Thou shalt have freedom of thought…

The term “freethinker” is a relatively new term on the social scene, though it can be retroactively applied to many famous folks in history who may have been, in spirit, a freethinker, but sans the label.  The definition of a freethinker is an evolving one, and it’s up for interpretation and debate, but the Owensboro Freethinkers use an amalgamation of definitions provided by Merriam Webster and a self-proposed definition offered by the Evansville Freethinkers, our sister group in Indiana.  Our definition stands as such:  “one who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially one who doubts or denies religious dogma.  Individuals should neither accept nor reject ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason, and that opinions should be formed on the basis of science and logic, without being influenced by authority, tradition, or any other dogma.”  To boil the notion of freethinking down to a palpable sound-bite, we encourage folks to “think whatever they want, but be able to rationally back it up”.  Freethinkers believe that no person should be restricted, intimated, or coerced into believing, thinking, or espousing a position, point of view, or way of thinking unless they reached it on their own grounds through rational and critical thought.

2. Thou shalt have freedom of speech…

“I do not agree with what you say; but I will defend to the death your right to say it” – (Attributed to) Voltaire

In conjunction with the first value, we believe that people should be able to freely express their opinions and views, regardless of how controversial, uncomfortable, unpopular, or off-beat the view is.  Furthermore, we believe in healthy and, most importantly, open discussion and debate on these subjects without any fear of unreasonable reprisal.  Most freethinkers value the 1^st Amendment which guarantees the right to freedom of speech, but as the Clash once said:  “you have the right to free speech…as long as you’re not dumb enough to try it”.  There are consequences to what people say and write, but we encourage healthy dialogue between those who hold opposite views.  Our group stands for the notion that “any ideas are intellectual fair game”.

3. Thou shalt value humanity…

Many of us freethinkers are also secular humanists or variations thereof, which believe that, for a lack of better definition, mankind is the end-all, be-all.  We grow together, we die together – the details between are very important to us.  We have a realistic view of mankind, but we see the potential in our species to rise above many of the ideological and social fetters that have caused us quite a bit of harm in the past.  Many of our own independent ideas encourage the progression of humanity to a better future, and the best way to ensure a better future is the continual improvement of today.  We stand to help our fellow man.

4. Thou shalt encourage and perform critical and rational thought…

We promote critical and rational thought as the best means to our ends as a species.  Until the advent of the scientific method – a product of the Enlightenment – society as a whole, particularly from the fall of Rome until relatively recently, was based on unreasonable superstition, dogmatic beliefs, and rampant, unchecked spiritualism.  In Western Society, the virtues found behind critical thinking have assisted mankind in rising from the mire of the medieval ages, and now because of the scientific method, we enjoy modern technology, longer life spans, lower mortality rates, cures to diseases long thought to be scourges from God, and an overall, improved lifestyle.  History has taught us the value of thought based on reason, and our position as a group encourages a society based on said mode of thinking.  We stand behind institutions that can better man by exercising these values – science being one major institution in particular.

5. Thou shalt not restrict or infringe upon another human being’s rights…

We believe in the power of our United States constitution.  We believe that our country was founded on a reasonable amount of individual liberty and freedom, and as such, we discourage groups and organizations discriminating on sexual, racial, religious, or political basis (or any other basis not listed).  As long as we are productive citizens, we are all entitled to the same basic rights and liberties regardless of who we are.  We also believe in debating what those rights are, and how far they extend.  As Ben Franklin said (and I paraphrase here) democracy is “two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner”.  We believe in protecting the lamb’s right to not be devoured by the whims of the wolves. 

6. Thou shalt promote education…

If the lock to a better society needs a key to open humanity to better results, education – a good education – is that key.  We believe that no person should be denied an education, and we believe that education is not a twelve-year agonizing experience for children, nor a four-year rat-race for young adults in college and university.  We believe that education is a life-long endeavor, and that to be a productive, well-informed citizen capable of giving back to society, one must be educated.  We promote constant, continuous, and unfettered learning.  We are all students; we are all teachers.

7. Thou shalt encourage fair government, fair economics, a fair society, and equal opportunities…

This is open-ended, but we encourage all citizens to use their faculties to better mankind, and we universally stand for the idea of fairness.  Realistically, there will never be a fair society, but we encourage systems built to promote fair society:  the law of our land, our political systems, public activism, free trade of ideas and discourse, etc.  

8. Thou shalt value thy life – it is the only one thou hast…

Most of us do not believe in a god or higher power.  Some of us do.  Those who don’t realize that this is the only life we have, and time should not be squandered.  We have one shot at improving mankind, and we live in a time where the opportunity to do so has rarely been so ample.  We believe in enjoying our lives and appreciating what we have because it is finite.  We believe in bettering the planet for our progeny.

9. Thou shalt be an active citizen…

We promote being pro-active in the community and lending a helping hand where needed.  Most of these latter statements are all tied together with the thread of activism.  We believe that, in order to initiate change, one should vote, start groups, start clubs, bring attention to issues, use their voices, and do whatever is reasonably allowed within our culture to bring about any change desired.  There is no point in having a society or country “for the people” if the people do not have any stake in it.  A healthy citizen recognizes they have a vested interest in society, and he or she does their best to participate.

10. Thou shalt not lie…

Ok, you caught us – we borrowed this one from Exodus, but we like this one.  Freethinkers and those associated with the philosophy must, above all, be honest with others and, most importantly, to ourselves.  Freethinkers love to learn, we love to grow, but we don’t know everything.  We try not to be pretentious, but in the course of discussion and debate, we do ask for evidence to back up claims, and we take little, if anything, on faith.  We ask for and promote intellectual and moral honesty.  We promote honest critical inquiry, and we normally loath dishonesty.  No person is perfect, but if the truth is to be sought and pursued, one should not do it by dishonest means.  We don't know if the truth will set us free...but it sure helps us get by.

Owensboro Freethinkers -- Welcome!

Greetings!  We are the Owensboro Freethinkers and welcome to our blog.  We are your friendly neighborhood atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics, critics, and all-around pro-free speech and free thought folks who have decided to form together a group based on our values.  As self-identifying freethinkers, we stand behind freedom of speech, freedom of thought, critical thinking, the scientific method, healthy skepticism and open discussion/debate.  To invest our group into the community, we've created an Owensboro Freethinkers blog -- a forum for us to express our views, touch on whatever topics tickle our fancy, and, most importantly, a place for dialogue.  We have several different writers who will take the reigns on different issues, but you will mostly find articles placed here written by our group members, discussing our interests both in and out of the community, concrete and abstract.

We will cover current events in Owensboro, Kentucky, and abroad; we may write about religion, politics, science, and social issues.  We believe in the free discussion of ideas and, as our group affirms, any idea is fair game for critical analysis.  You will probably read articles written by folks upon topics reaching conclusions you may or may not agree with, to which we welcome you to leave us your reaction.  We encourage and promote debate, skepticism, criticism, and general discussion.  This blog is our public forum. 

If you're interested in joining the group, please check out our Facebook page (Owensboro Freethinkers).  Enjoy!