“[Atheism:]
Unlike monotheism it did not spread from a single point. In India it
antedates the Buddha and the Jina and is found in the Upanishads; in
China it was codified by Confucius while a different version was laid
down by Lao-tze ... [continues] ... while the atheism of the Buddha and
the Jina is admitted frequently Lao-tze's is usually passed over in
silence, and the teachings of the Upanishads are glossed over as
pantheism.”
400BCE to 200BCE
Epicurus (341-270BCE), Leucippus and Democritus (4th and 5th centuries BCE), were listed by Francis Bacon as examples of atheist philosophers20. Founding atomic theory, they held that the universe was formed from natural causes; atoms coming together by chance, not by the will of a creator. The Epicurean School, a secluded and austere following called The Garden, has been criticized and ridiculed by Christian authors due to their hatred of Epicurean thought:
Francis Bacon (London, 1561 - 1626), a proponent of modern scientific techniques was an avowed theist who wrote ignorant rhetoric against atheists shows us that atheism was strife in this period, and bothers himself to attack it. Francis Bacon was also a devout scientist and he wrote passionately of the need to separate science from religion in order to let science flourish. He was right - but even so he didn't consciously accept the underlying fact that religion, as it stifles truth, also hindered science.
The historian Darren Oldridge says that as some people in history were too scared to criticize the powerful church, they would raise some of their doubts while 'possessed'. One such story was compiled by Powell as part of a collection of stories in 1652. A woman called MK thusly voiced her doubts about theism by saying that Satan made her say it:
Since the 1700s history provides a series of atheistic books, politicians, etc, such as the group who wrote the first Encyclopedia, led by Denis Diderot (1713-1784), Jean D'Alembert (one of the founders of Positivsm), Baron d'Holbach, the Marquis de Sade (in 1782 wrote an atheist book), the physician Matthew Turner also wrote a book in 1782. Some of these authors and people were imprisoned for blasphemy because of their atheism, but from this time onwards largely it has been safe to call yourself an atheist, and the major sciences have since flourished. Critics also flourished. Voltaire in 1764 wrote against atheism, often saying things like "atheists say...", and it is clear that debates between theists and atheists were common10.
Two Christian Bishops provide testimony to the state of Christianity in the UK in the 18th Century. Bishop Butler in 1736 wrote in his Analogy of Religion that no-one bothered with Christianity, "its fictitious nature being so obvious", and Bishop Watson wrote that "there never was an age [...] in which atheism [is] more generally confessed".
"Britain's first openly atheist MP, Charles Bradlaugh, was elected in 1880."22
John William Draper in 1881 wrote that "whoever has had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the mental condition of the intelligent classes in Europe and America, must have perceived that there is a great and rapidly-increasing departure from the public religious faith, and that, while among the more frank this divergence is not concealed, there is a far more extensive and far more dangerous secession, private and unacknowledged"23. The Victorian Era (1839-1901) as noted by Steve Bruce below, was the time was atheism has been at a height of prominence. In much of Europe, atheism is more popular than theism.
"The Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James (1902) [Book Review] is the text of lectures from 1900-1901. It clearly demonstrates that the author, 100 years ago, lived in an era where atheism and irreligiosity was strife, particularly in academic circles, and also that there are large numbers of secular-living people, not just in the UK where the lectures were delivered but also in his home country, the USA.
The sociologist of religion Steve Bruce states "it should be no surprise that, though there are more avowed atheists than there were twenty years ago, they remain rare. Self-conscious atheism and agnosticism are features of religious cultures and were at their height in the Victorian era. They are postures adopted in a world where people are keenly interested in religion"24.
"Critique of Religion and Philosophy" by Walter Kaufmann (1958)18
Those who do not believe in god(s) are (apparently) insulted in Psalm 14:1,
which calls them morally deficient fools. To make this statement, the
author must have course been aware of debates and arguments between
atheists and theists. The Psalms were compiled between 1050BCE and 600BCE. Although Psalms 14:1
sounds prejudiced, it is followed up by verses disclaiming against
everyone else too, calling all people unrighteous and lost. Link: The Book of Psalms, Number 14.
“The presence of evil and suffering in the world has even been argued by some philosophers from Epicurus (341-270bce) to David Hume (1711-76ce)
to cast doubt on the existence of God. Other more modern writers such
as Freud and Marx sought to show that religion's explanations of the
presence of evil and suffering were based on delusions.”
400BCE to 200BCEEpicurus (341-270BCE), Leucippus and Democritus (4th and 5th centuries BCE), were listed by Francis Bacon as examples of atheist philosophers20. Founding atomic theory, they held that the universe was formed from natural causes; atoms coming together by chance, not by the will of a creator. The Epicurean School, a secluded and austere following called The Garden, has been criticized and ridiculed by Christian authors due to their hatred of Epicurean thought:
16th-17th Century“The school was much libelled in antiquity and later. [...] In Christian times, Epicureanism was anathema because it taught that man is mortal, that the cosmos is the result of accident, that there is no providential god.”
Francis Bacon (London, 1561 - 1626), a proponent of modern scientific techniques was an avowed theist who wrote ignorant rhetoric against atheists shows us that atheism was strife in this period, and bothers himself to attack it. Francis Bacon was also a devout scientist and he wrote passionately of the need to separate science from religion in order to let science flourish. He was right - but even so he didn't consciously accept the underlying fact that religion, as it stifles truth, also hindered science.
- "The Essays" by Francis Bacon (1625) includes text on the problems with schismatic churches, war in the name of religion and on atheism and morality in general.
The historian Darren Oldridge says that as some people in history were too scared to criticize the powerful church, they would raise some of their doubts while 'possessed'. One such story was compiled by Powell as part of a collection of stories in 1652. A woman called MK thusly voiced her doubts about theism by saying that Satan made her say it:
“There is no God to save thee or punish thee, all things were made by nature, and when thou dyest there is an end of all thy good and bad deeds. Thou talkest of the scripture, and of a God and of a Jesus which thou hast heard of there. See thy simplicity now. How canst thou prove the scriptures to be true? Alas, they were made by man's inventions, there is no hold for thee to take there.”18th Century and onwards
"The Devil in Early Modern England" by Darren Oldridge (2000)21
Since the 1700s history provides a series of atheistic books, politicians, etc, such as the group who wrote the first Encyclopedia, led by Denis Diderot (1713-1784), Jean D'Alembert (one of the founders of Positivsm), Baron d'Holbach, the Marquis de Sade (in 1782 wrote an atheist book), the physician Matthew Turner also wrote a book in 1782. Some of these authors and people were imprisoned for blasphemy because of their atheism, but from this time onwards largely it has been safe to call yourself an atheist, and the major sciences have since flourished. Critics also flourished. Voltaire in 1764 wrote against atheism, often saying things like "atheists say...", and it is clear that debates between theists and atheists were common10.
Two Christian Bishops provide testimony to the state of Christianity in the UK in the 18th Century. Bishop Butler in 1736 wrote in his Analogy of Religion that no-one bothered with Christianity, "its fictitious nature being so obvious", and Bishop Watson wrote that "there never was an age [...] in which atheism [is] more generally confessed".
"Britain's first openly atheist MP, Charles Bradlaugh, was elected in 1880."22
John William Draper in 1881 wrote that "whoever has had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the mental condition of the intelligent classes in Europe and America, must have perceived that there is a great and rapidly-increasing departure from the public religious faith, and that, while among the more frank this divergence is not concealed, there is a far more extensive and far more dangerous secession, private and unacknowledged"23. The Victorian Era (1839-1901) as noted by Steve Bruce below, was the time was atheism has been at a height of prominence. In much of Europe, atheism is more popular than theism.
"The Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James (1902) [Book Review] is the text of lectures from 1900-1901. It clearly demonstrates that the author, 100 years ago, lived in an era where atheism and irreligiosity was strife, particularly in academic circles, and also that there are large numbers of secular-living people, not just in the UK where the lectures were delivered but also in his home country, the USA.
The sociologist of religion Steve Bruce states "it should be no surprise that, though there are more avowed atheists than there were twenty years ago, they remain rare. Self-conscious atheism and agnosticism are features of religious cultures and were at their height in the Victorian era. They are postures adopted in a world where people are keenly interested in religion"24.
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