The Freethinker (journal)

For other uses of the title The Freethinker, see The Freethinker (disambiguation).
The Freethinker
Categories Science magazine
Frequency Monthly
First issue 1 May 1881
Final issue April 2014 (print)
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Website www.freethinker.com

The Freethinker is a British secular humanist magazine, founded by G.W. Foote in 1881.[1] It is the world's oldest surviving freethought publication.

It has always taken an unapologetically atheist, anti-religious stance. In Issue 1 (May, 1881), Foote set out The Freethinker's purpose:

The Freethinker is an anti-Christian organ, and must therefore be chiefly aggressive. It will wage relentless war against superstition in general, and against Christian superstition in particular. It will do its best to employ the resources of Science, Scholarship, Philosophy and Ethics against the claims of the Bible as a Divine Revelation; and it will not scruple to employ for the same purpose any weapons of ridicule or sarcasm that may be borrowed from the armoury of Common Sense.

Although closely linked with the National Secular Society for most of its history (NSS Presidents and General Secretaries have at various times also served as Freethinker editor), The Freethinker is strictly autonomous and is not, and never has been, published by the NSS.

In 2006, the magazine's front-page masthead was changed from "Secular humanist monthly" to "The Voice of Atheism since 1881".

Barry Duke is the current editor.

History

Following the publication of anti-religious cartoons in the Christmas 1882 edition of The Freethinker, Foote was prosecuted for blasphemy, and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour.

The April 2014 edition of The Freethinker contained an announcement that the May issue would be the last to appear in print; publication would continue online.[2]

List of Freethinker editors

Here is a list of editors of The Freethinker from 1881:

Citations

Bibliography

See also

External links

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