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.