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New on AlterNet: The Contributions of Freethinkers

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My latest column has been posted on AlterNet, 9 Great Freethinkers and Religious Dissenters in History. Based on my series “The Contributions of Freethinkers“, it’s a listing of some famous and influential men and women who achieved great things for humanity while living lives free of superstition. Read the excerpt below, then click through to see the rest:

To hear religious apologists tell it, the triumph of atheism would mean a swift descent into selfishness and chaos. The defenders of the faith argue that atheism inevitably leads to selfishness and nihilism, and that only religion can justify charity or compassion, bind people together in community, or inspire a lively and flourishing culture. But this assertion can only be sustained by ignoring the accomplishments of famous nonreligious people throughout history, of which there have been many…

Continue reading on AlterNet…

Image: Robert G. Ingersoll, via Wikimedia Commons

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